UC-NRLF 


B    3    13b    ATT 


LITTLE  SERMONS 


FOR  TO-DAY 


BY 


CLYDE  SHEPARD 


SHALL   AMERICA 
GO  TO  WAR? 


CLYDE  SHEPARD 


SHALL  AMERICA 
GO  TO  WAR? 


A  Sermon  Preached  at  the  Mount 
Hollywood  Congregational  Church, 
Los  Angeles,  Cal.,  February  25,  1917, 
by  the  Minister,  Rev.  Clyde  Shepard. 


PRICE    TEN    CENTS 
(Special  Rates  in  Quantities.) 


CHRISTIAN    HEALTH    MAGAZINE 

Mt.  Hollywood  Congregational  Church. 
Los  Angeles, 


Rv  the   Same  Author 


Little  Sermons  lor  To-Day 

"Full  of  comfort  and  inspiration.  I 
found  my  faith  strengthened,  and  my 
soul  quieted.  I  am  glad  I  found  it." — 
A    Reader. 

Boards,  112  pages,  75c  postpaid. 


Christian  Healtli  Magazine 

A    periodical     scientific,     evangelical, 
practical,    helpful.      It    points    the    way 
to    health,    happiness,    power,    through 
Jesus  Christ.      It   will   help  you. 

SI. 00  per  year. 


CHRISTIAN    HEALTH    MAGAZINE 

.'Vlt.   Hollywood  Congregational  Church, 

Los  Angeles 


SHALL  AMERICA  GO  TO  WAR? 


This  is  a  time  when  every  man  up- 
on whom  rests  the  responsibility  of 
leadership  should  declare  the  convic- 
tion that  is  in  him.  There  is  no  place 
for  cant,   or  for  well   sounding   eu- 
phemisms, or  for  commonplace  pla- 
titudes.    It  behooves  every  man  to 
search  w^ell  his  heart  and  to  use  all 
intellectual     and  spiritual  means  to 
learn  the  truth.     There  cannot  have 
been  at  any  time  any  greater  obliga- 
tion  or   any  greater   privilege   than 
todav's  dutv  of  seeking  to  find  what 
is  the  best  thing  for  our  country  to 
do  in  its  time  of  national  stress  and 
uncertainty.    We  are  in  a  serious  sit- 
uation.    There  stretch  out   cross  the 
future  two  ways,  and  they  are  as  op- 
posite  as   the   poles.      One   of   them 
means  war;    one    of    them     means 
peace;    and  there  is  a  lot  of  differ- 
ence between  the  two. 

It  is  most  remarkable  that  in  scan- 
nng  the  current  religious  utterances, 
which   should   be   the   prophetic   lit- 


erature  of  the  time,  there  is  found 
very  little  voice  upon  this  all-import- 
ant question.  There  have  been  times 
upon  which  discussion  of  it  was  an- 
nounced. There  are  occasions  when 
that  is  the  subject  upon  which  some- 
one preaches;  but  as  for  a  real  pro- 
phetic utterance  upon  the  duty  of 
our  country  it  is  hardly  to  be  found 
in  the  religious  literature  of  the  last 
few  weeks.  The  one  contribution  of 
the  pulpit  to  the  thought  of  the  situa- 
tion is,  "Stand  by  the  President",  and 
that  is  mere  time-serving.  I  think 
we  can  take  it  for  granted  that  we 
will,  as  a  country,  stand  united  be- 
hind the  man  who  is  at  the  helm  ot 
our  ship  of  state.  We  have  cause  to 
give  thanks  to  God  for  the  noble 
character  and  for  the  splendid  spir- 
it and  faith  of  the  man  who  is  our 
chief  at  this  time.  There  is  no  ele- 
ment of  sedition  or  sign  of  rebellion 
in  the  country,  or  any  hue  and  cry 
raised  in  opposition  to  the  President 
of  the  United  States.  We  will  stand 
by  him,  and  stand  united.  But  the 
all-important  question  is.  what  will 
the  President  do  for  us  to  stand  by? 

The  question  for  whose  answering 
the  world  waits  breathlessly  is  not, 
will  the  United  States  of  America  as 
a   people   stand   together,   but   upon 


■« 


what  platform  and  in  what  action 
will  the  United  States  be  united?  We 
will  stand  united  and  strong,  a  great 
and  a  free  people,  and  we  will  take 
together  some  course  for  the  future. 
But  what  course  shall  it  be,  and  for 
what  purpose  do  we  act,  and  to  what 
end  do  we  move?  That  is  the  ques- 
tion for  the  answer  to  which  all  the 
world  waits  and  trembles  tonight. 

The  President  of  the  United  States 
of  America  is  bearing  the  burdens 
that  are  upon  him  like  a  Lincoln.  He 
desires  to  know  that  there  is  behind 
him  a  people  who  support  him.  But 
he  desires  also  to  find  the  action 
which  is  right  for  him  to  take,  and 
one  of  the  determining  factors  of  his 
decision  is  the  attitude  of  the  people, 
the  spirit  and  the  voice  of  your  heart 
and  inine. 

Partisans  are  harassing  and  har- 
anguing him  from  every  side.  One 
group  is  after  him  and  saying  "Warn 
every  American  citizen  to  stay  off  ev- 
ery vessel  that  is  going  into  the  ter- 
ritory where  there  is  trouble.  Don't 
give  clearance  to  any  ship  that  car- 
ries contraband  or  that  goes  into 
troubled  waters."  And  before  he  can 
turn  from  that  group  another  says. 
"Why,  American  shipping  is  stopped. 
Our  ships  are  tied  up  in  the  harbors. 


There  are  guns  enough  in  America 
to  arm  these  ships  and  send  them  out 
on  the  sea.  Whose  fault  is  it  they 
haven't  gone?  Why  doesn't  the 
President  act?"  While  these  cries 
still  ring  in  his  ears,  another  spokes- 
man delivers  his  instructions,  "The 
United  States  owes  it  to  humanitv 
to  get  into  this  war  on  the  side  of  the 
allies.  ^\e  are  taking  the  part  of 
cowards;  let  us  be  men,  and  fight  for 
the  rights  of  the  world." 

Loud  voices  are  being  raised  on 
every  side,  in  Congress,  in  the  press, 
and  in  conversation,  but  it  is  most 
remarkable  that  in  all  the  wide  coun- 
tiw  almost  every  preacher  that  opens 
his  mouth  to  speak  upon  the  subject 
dodges  the  issue  and  utters  common- 
place truisms,  having  nothing  to  say 
about  the  decision  which  must  be 
made.  In  the  last  issue  of  the  fore- 
most denominational  paper  publish- 
ed in  this  country  there  was  a  page 
of  opinions  given  by  five  prominent 
ministers  in  answer  to  the  question. 
What  shall  the  United  States  do  in 
its  present  crisis?  That  question 
meant  what  shall  be  our  policy,  what 
shall  we  do  with  reference  to  that 
spot  over  yonder  where  there  are 
submarines  and  where  we  are  for- 
bidden   to   go?      Shall    we    go   with 

8 


armed  vessels  or  unprotected  vessels, 
or  shall  we  go  at  all?  Shall  we  fight, 
or  seek  peace?     What  shall  we  do? 
And  not  one  of  them  dared  make  the 
application  of  his  faith  to  the  prob- 
lem.    They  said  only  this,   "Let  us 
stand  by  the  President."  And  preach- 
ers, who    three    months    ago    were 
talking   in    their   patriotic   sermons 
about   peace,    and    the   duty   of   the 
country,  and  the  policy  of  the  nation, 
have  today,  when  there  comes  a  time 
when   it   is   necessary  to   apply   the 
truth  and  when  there  is  a  critical 
situation,    dodged    the    issue,     and 
uttered      common-place     platitudes, 
"Stand  by  the  President,"  "Be  Ameri- 
cans," "Stand  together,"  "Love  the 
Germans,"   leaving    us    floundering 
around  in  our  uncertainty  as  to  what 
we  are  going  to  do  about  the  great 
national  question. 

The  press,  the   public  representa- 
tives, the  people,  are  talking  about 
this  question;  but  it  cannot  be  ans- 
wered from  a  diplomatic  or  political 
standpoint.    Today's  problem  is  big- 
ger than  law  or  platform.     It  can  be 
answered  only  by  religion,  and  the 
one    man     above    all    who     should 
dare  to  open  his  mouth  to  declare  the 
conviction   of   his   heart      upon   the 
question  is  the  man  who  tries  to  find 

9 


the  truth  in  the  light  of  the  teachingc 
of  God.     It  may  not  come  as  near 

agreeing  with  the  opinions  of  every- 
body who  listens  to  him  as  do  the 

wishy-washy  nothings.  With  pat- 
riotic platitudes  nobody  will  disa- 
gree or  find  fault.    But  neither  from 

them  will  there  come  the  salvation, 

of  the  country,  or  of  the  world. 

I  have  no  criticism  of  the  man  who 
differs  with  me.  I  must  allow  full 
right  to  the  man  who  cries,  "Fight 
for  your  rights",  while  I  say,  "Pre- 
serve your  rights  by  the  better  way 
of  peace."  But  I  regret  the  weak,  in- 
consequential and  immaterial  utter- 
ances on  such  an  important  matter. 
It  is  painful  to  see  a  man  undertake 
to  answer  a  great  public  question, 
and  then  not  touch  it  at  all. 

We  will  stand  with  the  President; 
but  this  continual  harping  on  that 
strain  before  he  is  decided  savors 
of  that  old  toast, 

"My   country!    May   she   always    be 

right: 
But,  right  or  w^rong,^my  country!" 

Which  has  in  it  the  element  of  truth 
that  my  country  demands  of  me  a 
great  loyalty  and,  if  it  is  in  difficulty 
with  another  nation  which,  perhaps 
is  no  better  or  not  as  good, 
I     will     not    surrender    any    rights 

10 


of  my  country  to  that  other 
nation;  I  will  not  be  a 
traitor.  But  which  also  has  in  it  this 
element  of  falsehood, — that  what- 
ever my  country  does  demands  my 
support,  and  if  my  country  starts  out 
upon  a  series  of  depredations,  seeks 
to  wrong  other  people,  seeks  to  do 
anything  inimical  to  the  cause  of  hu- 
manity, yet  I  will  stand  by.  The 
Kingdom  of  God  and  of  universal 
brotherhood  demands  of  us  an  alle- 
giance prior  to  that  claimed  even  ]>y 
our  beloved  homeland,  the  United 
States  of  America.  And  the  Banner 
of  the  Cross,  for  him  who  sees  in  it 
the  emblem  of  all  humanity's  cause, 
has  a  stronger  appeal  even  than  the 
stars  and  stripes,  the  sacred  banner 
of  freedom. 

Now,  what  is  our  situation?  i 
will  not  attempt  any  digest  of  inter- 
national law,  or  summing  up  of  dip- 
lomatic practice.  I  think  in  a  very 
few  words  we  can  outline  the  situa- 
tion, and  ask  the  question  which  we 
are  called  upon  to  answer. 

Several  months  ago  the  German 
Empire  in  its  war  with  the  Allies 
began  some  practices  of  which  the 
United  States  did  not  approve  and 
which  we  said  were  violations  of  oar 
rights.     So  we  protested  to  the  Ger- 

11 


mans,  and  they  said  they  were  sorry 
and  wouldn't  do  it  again.  Then,  dur- 
ing the  month  of  January  we  receiv- 
ed notice  that  on  the  first  of  February 
they  would  renew  the  objectionable 
w^arfare,   and   institute   other   prac- 
tices  which   w^e   had   declared   w^ere 
inimical  to  the  rights  of  the  United 
States.  As  soon  as  they  declared  that 
purpose  the  President  of  the  United 
States  recalled  oar  Ambassador  from 
Germany  and  sent  the  German  Am- 
bassador home,  thus  breaking  off  re- 
lations with  that  country. 

Just  as  this  page  goes  to  press  re- 
ports come  of  the  loss  of  American 
lives,  and  announcement  that  Ger- 
many took  into  consideration  our 
possible  entry  into  the  war,  soliciting 
the  aid  of  Mexico  and  Japan  against 
us. 

What  are  w'e  to  do?  No  man  ever 
had  more  responsibility  upon  his 
shoulders  than  our  peace-loving, 
honor-loving  President.  No  people 
ever  faced  more  vital  issues  than  the 
honor-loving,  peace-loving  people  of 
America.  The  proposed  courses  of 
action  may  be  divided  into  three  gen- 
eral groups. 

First.  Declare  war  against  Ger- 
many.   Avenge  the  insults  to  a  great 

12 


people.     Maintain  our  rights.     Fight 
for  the  cause  of  humanity. 

The  second  course  is  to  maintain 
an  armed  neutrality — sending  armed, 
or  even  convoyed,  merchantmen  to 
trade  with  our  customers  among  the 
allies.  Not  to  be  aggressors;  not  to 
attack  any  German  boat,  or  destroy 
German  lives  or  property;  but  to  re- 
sist attack,  and  defend  themselves 
against  interference  with  their 
rights. 

Our  third  possibility  is  to  stay  out 
of  the  war  zone;  to  accept  the  Allied 
and  German  blockades,  and  surren- 
der for  the  present  the  enforcement 
of  our  rights. 

I  wish,  for  reasons  which  will  be 
set  forth,  to  declare  myself  in  favor 
of  the  last-mentioned  way — the  way 
of  calm,  self-controlled,  peace.  1 
will  try  to  show  that  this  course 
iiolds  more  of  honor,  of  success,  of 
liberty,  of  human  rights,  than  the 
others.  The  objection  to  the  policy 
of  armed,  forced  neutrality  is  that  its 
inevitable  battles  will  inflame  the 
country  and  destroy  our  reason.  If, 
however,  that  course  is  chosen,  let 
us  oppose  unalterably  the  declara- 
tion of  war. 

The  New  York  Tribune  said  last 
week  that  the  utterances  and  agita- 

13 


tion  of  those  whom  we  call  the  Peace 
Party,  some  of  them  at  least,  wei'e 
financed  by  the  Germans,  and  Rep- 
resentative Gardner     of    Massachu- 
setts went  so  far  as  to  intimate  that 
William  Jennings  Bryan  had  receiv- 
ed some  of  that  German  money.  They 
say  "Whoever  is  a  Pacifist  is  playing 
himself  right  into  the  hands  of  the 
German  war  party,  and  perhaps  the 
fellow^  he  believes  in  and  follows  re- 
ceives money  from  the  German  Em- 
pire  for  making     his     utterances." 
When   I   read  that  I   said,   "Well,   I 
don't       want       to       do       that.       I 
don't     want     to     take     sides    with 
the     Germans   and   play   into   their 
hands.      I  w^ant  to  be  very  careful. 
It  isn't  my  wish  to  take  sides  in  the 
great  conflict  over    there." 

Then  I  picked  up  the  current  Col- 
lier's Weekly  and  read  an  editorial 
a  column  and  a  half  in  length  which 
said  that  Germany  wanted  to  drag 
America  into  war  with  the  Allies  in 
order  to  have  her  in  their  counsels 
when  it  came  to  deciding  the  terms 
of  peace;  that  we  cannot  do  very 
much  damage,  because  we  cannot 
send  any  more  ammunition  than  we 
have  been  and  we  couldn't  get  our 
soldiers  over  there;  that  we  are  fall- 
ing into  a  German  trap  by  going  into 

14 


the  war  on  the  side  of  the  Allies." 
Thus  do  they  befuddle  the  issue  on 
both  sides.  I  do  not  know  who  i£ 
right  and  I  do  not  care.  Here  is  the 
fact.  There  is  a  stand  and  a  policy 
which  is  right  for  this  country,  and 
it  makes  no  dilference  what  any  na- 
tion wants  us  to  do,  nor  what  advan- 
tage commercially  or  politically,  it 
will  bring  to  any  country.  The  thing 
for  us  to  do  is  to  take  the  right  policy 
and  follow  it  up,  clinging  to  it  in 
the  face  of  all  outcries. 

Now,  why  should  we  go  to  war? 
Why  should  we  fight?  It  is  a  terri- 
ble thing  to  enter  a  war,  especially 
one  like  this  that  has  no  end  as  far  as 
w^e  can  see.  Into  the  turmoil  once, 
we  shall  go  deeper  and  deeper.  Two 
or  three  reasons  are  advanced. 

One  is — we  have  been  insulted. 
The  flag  of  America,  which  stands 
for  the  ideals  of  the  people,  has  been 
insulted  and,  therefore,  we  should 
avenge  it.  Yes,  it  has  been  insulted. 
H^or  two  vears  and  a  half  we  have 
been  insulted  as  much  as  any  nation 
can  insult  us,  and  our  flag  has  been 
insulted  as  much  as  it  can  be  by  ano- 
ther people — but  no  stain  is  yet  upon 
Old  Glory.  For  two  and  a  half  years 
thev  have  bluffed,  scorned,  threaten- 
ed,  mistreated,  offended  and  tempted 

15 


lis — all  of  them.  But  the  banner  ot 
the  Stars  and  Stripes  waves  yet  over 
a  land  that  is  free  and  at  peace,  and 
floats  the  seas  the  one  honored  en- 
sign of  the  earth.  No  stain  is  upon 
that  banner,  because  Freedom  has 
given  the  keeping  of  its  insignia  into 
the  hands  of  her  chosen  people,  and 
no  other  people  under  the  sun  can 
draw  the  mark  of  shame  across  the 
Stars  and  Stripes.  No  stain  will  be 
there  until  we,  ourselves,  unneces- 
sarily dip  it  in  the  blood  of  our  fel- 
low man. 

To   avenge   an   insult!      Will   war 
avenge  an  insult?    It  only  bares  our 
breasts  for  the  sting  of  a     million 
more.     If  a  man  insults  me,  am     I 
avenged  when  I  slap  him  in  the  face, 
punch  his  nose,  and  black  his  eye? 
If  I  know  the  essence  of  real  man- 
hood and  character  will  I  be  drawn 
down  to  the  level  of  a  physical  strug- 
gle?    This  idea  of  avenging  an  in- 
sult by  physical  warfare,  either  for 
the  individual  or  for  the  state,  is  a 
dead  relic  of  the  dead -ideals  of  a  dead 
age. 

Well,  we  should  protect  our  rights. 

We   have   been   denied  the  right  to 

trade  with  England  and  some  of  the 

other  Allied  countries.     We  should 

protect  that  right.     Very  well,  will 

16 


war  do  it?  We  do  have  a  right  to 
insist  that  German  submarines  per- 
mit our  commerce  to  cross  the  dead 
line,  but  from  the  minute  we  declare 
war  against  Germany  we  have  no 
right  to  demand  anything  of  her.  We 
shall  then  have  no  right  to  have  our 
commerce  go  from  North  America  to 
South  America.  We  shall  have  no 
right  to  have  a  vessel  leave  New  York 
for  Philadelphia.  We  cannot  say, 
"Hands  off"  when  a  fishing  smack 
puts  out  to  sea. 

What  rights  do  we  have  when  we 
declare  war?  We  protect  and  keep 
for  ourselves  the  right  to  fight,  and 
nothing  more.  We  have  a  right  to 
take  all  our  civilization  and  its  won- 
derful organization  and  to  train 
them  for  one  end — to  destroy  hum- 
anity. We  have  the  right  to  make 
our  sons  fight,  and  bleed,  and  die  on 
European  soil,  or  in  European  wat- 
ers to  help  settle  a  European  quar- 
rel. We  will  have  the  right  to  make 
our  mothers  and  sisters  weep  and 
tremble  in  anxiety.  Those  are  the 
rights  we  have  in  war.  To  enter  war 
is  to  surrender  rights.  Seated  at  the 
banquet  table,  when  some  relish  is 
taken  from  us.  we  would  rush  out 
to  dig  in  the  garbage  bins. 

When   world   conditions    are   like 

17 


they   are   today   and   there   is   some 
question  to  be  settled  with  another 
nation,  some  right  to  be  demanded, 
tlie  only  reasonble  thing  is  to  wait 
until  that  struggle  over  there  is  set- 
tled,    and     they     come       to       the 
making    of    terms    of    peace.      We 
will    have    far    more    power    then 
than      we      can    have    now.      Thac 
is       not     surrendering     the     right. 
"It  is  no  surrender  of  a  right  to  post- 
pone enforcement  of  it,'"   as  Bryan 
said,  "For  instance,,  if  I  am  on  the 
sidewalk  and  here  comes  a  drunkcTi 
chauffeur  running  his  car  toward  me 
it  is  better  to  wait  and  settle  with 
him  when    he's    sober,    instead    of 
standing  on  my  rights  and  leaving 
my  widow  to  settle  with  him." 

We  have  said  in  the  last  few  years, 
over  and  over,  in  a  dozen  kinds  of 
ways,  that  the  United  States  will  not 
go  to  war  until  it  is  forced  upon  us. 
Now,  mark  you,  no  war  is  being  forc- 
ed upon  us.  No  enemy  threatens  at 
our  doors.  No  foreign  foe  treads  our 
soil.  The  only  thing  threatened  is  one 
littleright  of  intercourse.  The  injured 
are  the  ghouls  who  have  licked  their 
lips  at  the  profits  to  be  made  from 
the  world's  suffering.    There  are  oth- 
ers in  the  war  party,but  if  it  were  not 
for  the  moneyed  ])owers,  rasping  un- 

18 


der  the  loss  of  blood-stained  gold, 
we  would  not  now  be  in  danger  of 
the  great  disaster.  There  is  no  com- 
pelling reason  for  us  to  go  to  war.  If 
we  go,  we  are  the  aggressors.  We 
cannot  claim  one  iota  of  the  advan- 
tage and  justification  of  defensive 
warfare. 

We  think  the  United  States  should 
stand  as  a  protector  of  the  rights  of 
neutrals. 

It  should.     Some     countries     are 

small  and  have  not  much  power  or 

influence.  It  behooves  the  United 
States  of  America  as  a  big  brother. 

the  friend  of  all  humanity,  to  stand 
for  the  rights  of  neutrals  and  for  the 
rights  of  all  peoples.  Now,  we  say. 
the  rights  of  neutrals  are  being  vio- 
lated.     They  are,   and  the      United 

States  ought  to  defend  them.  And 
how?    Plunge  into  war? 

If  the  United  States  of  America 
enters  the  war  of  Europe,  the  world 
loses  its  great  brother.  From  being  a 
people  that  can  influence  both  sides 
and  neutrals,  a  people  all  the  world 
honors,  great  and  impartial  friend  of 
humanity,  we  become  a  prejudiced, 
impassioned,  warring  nation.  From 
the  one  great,  free,  neutral  we  be- 
come a  minor  ally.  The  earth  loses 
that  which  is  now  its  best,  and  gives 

19 


tatattm^m 


it  up  simply  for  the  vengeance  of  war, 
and  the  only  good  we  can  do  to  the 
world  in  the  war  is  the  good  of  our 
blood  and  of  our  guns  and  of  our 
money  in  warfare.  Gone  the  art  of 
persuasion.  Gone  the  benefit  of  love, 
of  free  leadership.  Gone  all  save 
the  right  to  suffer  and  bleed  and 
make  others  bleed.  God  pity  a  na- 
tion that  for  such  a  vengeance  will 
surrender  its  position  as  the  worlds 
great,  big,  loving,  helpful  friend  and 
brother. 

The  world  needs  America  to  defend 
its  rights,  and  it  needs  America  af 
peace.  It  needs  America  now,  and  it 
needs  America  when  there  shall 
come  a  time  of  settlement.  I  plead 
for  no  surrendering  of  American 
rights,  no  limitation  of  the  rights  or 
humanity.  I  plead  for  the  best  means 
for  their  defense — a  power  to  bring 
our  influence  to  l)ear  upon  all  the 
world.  I  plead  for  the  rights  of  hu- 
manity. 1  plead  for  the  only  thing 
that  will  save  them  from  being 
swamped  in  human  blood. 

The  war  in  Europe  will  not  last 
forever.  It  will  end  some  day  and 
the  world  will  be  full  of  distrust. 
Those  who  have  fought  on  one  side 
will  distrust  those  who  have  fought 
on  the  other.     If  we  stay  out  of  it 

20 


there  will  be  one  country  and  one 
people  whom  they  can  all  trust. 
There  will  be  one  voice  that  will  be 
heard  and  it  will  be  the  voice  of 
friendship,  the  voice  of  democracy, 
the  voice  of  brotherhood,  the  voice  of 

peace.  America's  conscience  will  be 
\vritten  into  the  laws  of  nations. 

And  America,  foregoing  for  a  time 
a  privilege  which  might  be  hers,  suf- 
fering for  a  time  while  the  world 
suffers,  clinging  to  the  greater  right 
rather  than  the  minor,  to  the  better 
and  not  the  poorer,- -America,  thus 

giving  herself  to  the  cause  of  human- 
ity and  to  the  upholding  of  her  ideals, 
true  to  the  hopes  of  the  waiting 
world, — America  shall  be  glorified  in 
the  hearts  of     people     everywhere. 

America      shall      be      glorified    on 

the  pages  of  history,  and  verily, 
1  believe,  America  shall  be  glorified 

in  the  eternal  councils  of  the  Prince 
of  Peace. 


21 


TW 


I 


LITTLE    SERMONS   FOR  TO-DAY 


LITTLE  SERMONS 
FOR  TO-DAY 


BY 

CLYDE  SHEPARD 

Minister  of  the  Mount  Hollywood  Congregational  Church, 

Los  Angeles;  Elditor  of  Christian  Heahh 

Magazine 


QiristiaB  Health  Magazbe 
Los  Aagelei 


Copyrisht  1916 

By  Clyde  Shepard 

Lot  Angelet,  California 


TO  THB  MEMORY  OF 

"Whose  consecrated  life  was  to  me  ample  evidence 
of   God's    dwelling-   in   humanity,    and   whose 
prayers  followed  me  through  many  wind- 
ing ways  until  they  drew  me  into  the 
work  of  the  ministry,  to  live  the 
life  of  sacrifical  service,  and 
to    be    a    bearer    of    the 
Good      News; 

AND  TO 

Whose    triumph    over    almost    insuperable    diffi- 
culties,   whose    success    under    heavy    handi- 
caps,  and   whose   firm   adherence   to   the 
right,   even   in   the   face  of   personal 
loss,  are  a  challenge  to  his  son's 
fidelity  and  devotion; 

HatiittglQ  firbiratrb 


O  n'  r"  i\   '^  ^' 


CONTENTS 


Introduction,  by  Dr.  Charles  Edward  Lockcll 

To-Day— Poem   13 

The  Church  For  To-day 15 

The  National  Spirit  of  To-day 20 

Vanishing   Opportunities   23 

The  Awakening  of  the  Masses — Poem 26 

Half-Baked  Goodness  27 

Is  the  World   Content? 30 

Is  There  a  Simple   Gospel? 33 

Religious    Bosses    36 

The   Christian  a  World-Citizen 38 

Worry    41 

Making  Good  in  a  Pinch 56 

God  in   Business 59 

"Git  To   Laffin"— Poem 62 

A    Universe   Without    God 63 

The   Secret  of  Power „ 66 

The  Survival  of  the  Fittest 69 

The   Unseen   Battle   Line — Poem 73 

The   Church  and  The   Social   Evil 74 

Great  Measures  for  Great  Needs 90 

The  Helmsman  92 

A  Good  Place  to  Live 95 

"My  Pal"— Poem   98 

The  Heart  of  Your  Neighbor 99 

Living  To-Day  101 


Little  Sermons  for  To-day  11 


INTRODUCTION 


There  is  a  perennial  demand  for  good 
sermons  and  good  preachers.  The  preach- 
er deals  with  subjects  in  which  the  soul 
of  man  is  increasingly  interested  and  con- 
cerned. The  studious,  sincere,  consecrat- 
ed, and  practical  preacher  will  never  lack 
for  a  good  hearer.  Having  first  gotten 
his  theme  into  himself,  it  will  not  be  diffi- 
cult to  get  his  theme  into  his  audience. 
The  individuality  of  the  preacher  will  fix 
the  frontiers  of  his  influence.  He  must 
not  be  too  dogmatic  and  never  opinion- 
ated; he  should  be  modest  but  sure  of 
himself;  always  gentlemanly  but  tenaci- 
ous of  his  convictions ;  he  should  believe 
intensely  what  he  preaches,  and  ingrati- 
ate his  gospel  with  a  pleasing  personality. 
If  his  message  is  made  to  apply  to  the 
needs  of  a  living  people  and  a  living  age, 
then  his  living  gospel  will  attract  the  peo- 
ple. Life  should  be  his  subject,  life  as  in- 
terpreted by  the  Christ  who  came  that 


12  Little  Sermons  for  To-day 

they  might  have  life  and  that  they  might 
have  it  more  abundantly. 

These  little  sermons  are  like  sparks 
from  the  anvil  of  a  bright  and  busy 
young  preacher.  They  are  a  credit  to  his 
spirit  and  to  his  genius.  They  have  come 
from  the  forge  of  studious  endeavor.  They 
are  little  only  in  quantity,  and  are  large 
in  quality  and  purpose,  and  will  be  read 
with  enjoyment  and  profit.  I  bespeak  for 
this  dainty  volume  a  cordial  welcome 
from  those  who  can  easily  detect  the 
worth  and  achievement  of  a  diligent 
young  minister  of  the  Gospel. 

Charles  Edward  Locke. 


Little  Sermons  for  To-day  13 


TODAY. 

Thank  God  for  Today! 

V/hen  this  morning's  rising  sun 

Burst  the  Orient  bars  of  night, 

He  sent  his  scouting  rays  afar, 

In  file  and  troop  and  myriad  horde. 

To  spy  the  land — to  look 

What   evil   had  been   wrought 

Under  darkness'  blighting  pall — 

Whether,  crouching  'neath  the  shadowy  night, 

Man  had  marred  the  days'  advance, 

While  sun  and  sunbeam  shone 

In  the  land  that  somewhere  lies 

Between  all  yesterdays  and  all  todays. 

The  marshalled  forces  heeded  well. 

In  mist  and  haze  of  struggling  dawn 

They  fought. 

Till  with  golden  shaft 

And  conq'ring,  bright'ning  tread 

They  routed  from  the  king's  domain 

The  last  black  remnant, 

Stubborn,  but     forewarned  by     premonition's 

sign. 
Sneaking  into  a  dank,  secluded  corner; 
Hoping  against  hope 
That  the  messengers  of  day 
Might  not  see; 
Or,  seeing,  would  not  enter. 
But  into  every  nook  and  cranny 
And  hiding  quarter 
They  pried  and  peeped. 
Then  possessed. 
And  Today  was  king  o'er  all  the  land. 


14  Little  Sermons  for  To-day 

And  when,  in  the  first  fair  flush  of  victory, 

Capering  the  conqueror's  dance 

In  every  dewdrop,  in  all  the  flowers  and  trees, 

On  dull  housetops  now  made  to  gleam, 

They  brought  report  to  the  waiting  sun 

Who,  with  smile  of  one  who  knows. 

Lifted  his  head 

Just  over  the  brim  of  yesterday. 

They  chanted: 

"It  was  but  play,  O  Lord  of  Day, 

At  thy  inspired  command. 
To  win  the  fray  and  chase  away 

The  night  from  out  the  land. 

"Our  best,  O  Sun,  today  we've  done. 

Of  all  the  trophies  gay 
That  we  have  won,  since  time  begun. 

Today's  the  fairest  day!"  " 


Little  Sermons  for  To-day  15 


THE  CHURCH  FOR  TODAY 

As  Paul  declared  his  purpose  to  become 
all  things  to  all  men  that  he  might  save 
them,  so  the  institutions  of  organized 
Christianity  must  adjust  themselves  to  the 
needs  of  succeeding  years.  Fishers  of 
men  cannot  catch  book-lover  students 
and  uncouth  illiterates  with  one  bait.  The 
perch  and  the  bass  do  not  bite  the  same 
hook.  Likewise  the  church  cannot  do  its 
work  in  exactly  the  same  way  in  the  ninth 
century  and  the  nineteenth. 

While  the  fundamentals  of  religion  re- 
main identical  in  every  generation  and 
country,  peculiar  conditions  and  problems 
demand  different  emphases,  and  varying 
manners  of  presentation.  In  Luther's  re- 
bellion against  the  abuse  of  forms  and 
rites,  his  emphasis  on  justification  by 
faith  was  the  needed  reform.  When  the 
Wesleyan  revival  found  the  theater  and 
all  amusement  life  immoral  and  degrad- 
ing, the  logical  application  of  moral 
teaching  was  to  demand  their  elimination. 
In  every  age  Jesus,  the  universal  teacher 


16  Little  Sermons  for  To-day 

and  prophet,  has    the  message    that  the 
time  needs. 

Now  what  is  the  word  of  God  to  this 
decade?  We  find  the  world  in  turmoil. 
Bloody  war  triumphs  over  home  and 
church  and  state  in  Europe  and  parts  of 
Asia  and  Africa.  The  rest  of  the  world 
is  unsettled — class  pitted  against  class, 
man  against  man.  There  must  be  some 
message  of  the  Christ  that  will  reach  the 
heart  of  today,  and  but  waits  for  the 
prophets  to  declare  it. 

Certain  religious  needs  stand  out  boldly 
in  the  foreground  of  twentieth  century 
thought  and  activities.  They  may  be  seen 
to  some  extent  in  current  criticisms  of 
the  church;  but  more  surely  in  the  ad- 
vancing movements  within  the  church. 
The  groanings  and  travailings  in  the 
church  of  today  are  not  from  defeat,  but 
from  growth.  Her  life  is  a  response  to  the 
new  opportunities  of  the  new  century. 

Let  me  mention  some  points  of  the 
challenge  of  Jesus  to  this  hour.  And 
when  I  do  you  who  read  will  say,  "Why 
those  are  the  universal  things,  the  most 
important  in  every  time  and  clime."  True. 
They  are.  For  always  a  crisis  drives  a 
man    back  to    fundamentals,    and  he    is 


Little  Sermons  for  To-day  17 

ashamed  for  his  neglect  of  them  in  the 
basking  days  of  ease,  when  he  might  have 
incarnated  them  in  his  Hfe. 

In  this  day  of  acid  tests  a  church  must 
have  the  spirit  of  service,  even  to  its  own 
destruction.  God  be  praised  for  a  church 
that  recognizes  the  kingdom  of  God  as 
bigger  than  itself,  and  grasps  a  greater 
task  than  adding  to  its  own  rolls  and  fi- 
nances. Thank  God  for  a  church  that 
knows  its  purpose  is  not  to  advance  itself, 
but  to  serve  others.  Church  activities 
and  funds  driven  to  denominational  suc- 
cess are  too  often  antagonistic  to  the 
spirit  of  Him  who  commissioned  his 
church  not  to  be  ministered  unto,  but  to 
minister.  Some  figures  of  progress  will 
acquire  a  new  meaning  when  the  great 
book  of  the  kingdom  is  unfolded  and  the 
light  of  eternity  falls  across  its  tabula- 
tions. 

Only  the  church  which  is  willing  to 
serve  the  kingdom  at  its  own  expense  can 
be  freed  from  the  charge  of  hypocrisy 
and  insincerity  when  it  lifts  its  voice  to 
proclaim  the  ringing  challenge  of  Jesus 
to  this  self-strangled  generation — that  in- 
dividuals, institutions  and  nations  live  and 
exist  for  service.  Two  thousand  years 
ago  Jesus  flung  this  revolutionary  torch 


18  Little  Sermons  for  To-day 

at  humanity,  and  we  have  been  loath  to 
take  it  up.  Individuals  seem  to  live  for 
selfishness,  our  institutions  are  organized 
for  profit,  nations  exist  for  aggrandize- 
ment, conquest  and  self-honor.  The  pres- 
ent failure  of  a  civilization  builded  on  this 
basis  calls  for  a  new  venture — a  launch- 
ing out  into  the  deep  of  social  life,  sailing 
only  on  the  teachings  of  Jesus. 

No  sect  can  meet  the  needs  of  modern 
life  unless  it  have  within  itself  a  basis  for 
individual  freedom.  The  days  of  coercion 
in  doctrinal  belief  passed  with  the  thumb- 
screw and  the  whipcord.  The  world  cries 
aloud  for  an  understanding  fellowship 
that  will  receive  and  help  without  stereo- 
typing. A  stereotyped  soul  is  worse  than 
a  stale  speech  or  a  copy-cat  book. 

The  trials  of  society's  institutions  and 
men's  hearts  demand  that  we  converge  on 
the  great  central  truths  of  Christianity. 
This  is  no  time  for  quibbling.  Every  re- 
ligious teacher  who  opens  his  mouth  to 
browbeat  and  dogmatize  ought  to  be  sil- 
enced as  a  relic  of  the  eighteenth  cen- 
tury. It  is  certain  that  in  his  purpose  for 
this  sad,  uncertain  age  Jesus  has  abso- 
lutely no  place  for  the  hair-splitter. 

The  greatest  need  of  all  is  a  splendid, 


Little  Sermons  for  To-day  19 

broad,  mature  faith.  A  faith  which  can 
see  the  mantle  of  glory  fall  from  beloved, 
institutions,  that  can  hear  the  successful 
attack  upon  old  ideas,  and  yet  consecrate 
itself  to  the  eternal  verities,  confident  that 
the  good  shall  never  pass  away.  In  our 
time,  when  old  established  walls  are  fall- 
ing, only  the  magnificent  faith  of  a 
prophet  will  suffice — a  faith  which  knows 
the  foundations  do  not  crumble,  and  in 
the  maelstrom  still  will  cry  "Thus  saith 
the  Lord." 

No  dogmatism  or  empty,  high-sounding 
phrases  will  attract  the  ears  of  the  bleed- 
ing world.  Whoever  has  anything  to  say 
to  this  sick  year  must  bring  with  him  a 
promise  of  power.  Not  theory,  philos- 
ophy or  platform,  but  power.  The  Chris- 
tian brings  the  only  adequate  power — 
that  of  the  Christ  reincarnate  in  his  fol- 
lowers. This  is  the  great  redemptive 
theme,  the  hope-song  of  all  the  ages,  and 
the  only  thing  big  enough  in  challenge  to 
arrest  the  attention  of  this  mad  civiliza- 
tion, and  great  enough  in  power  to  do 
that  which  it  proclaims. 


20  Little  Sermons  for  To-day 


THE  NATIONAL  SPIRIT  OF  TODAY 

The  people  who  live  between  the  At- 
lantic and  the  Pacific  from  Canada  to 
Mexico  are  glad  today  for  their  dwelling- 
place.  There  is  a  deep  patriotism  run- 
ning undereurrent  through  all  our  think- 
ing and  our  doing.  The  preparedness  pa- 
rades of  1916  were  misnamed.  They 
were  demonstrations  of  national  spirit, 
as  much  greater  than  the  policy  of  pre- 
paredness as  the  flag  is  more  than  its  staff, 
as  the  country  is  nobler  than  its  theories, 
as  the  people  are  greater  than  a  platform. 

It  is  a  new  thing  in  the  world  for  a  na- 
tion's eyes  to  watch  while  a  nation's  feet 
are  at  march,  and  no  enem}^  in  view.  No 
man  in  all  this  year's  enthusing  crowds 
had  aught  to  think  of  England  or  Ger- 
many, of  foe  on  land  or  sea.  Our  thought 
was  of  peace,  and  of  the  land  we  love. 

The  Spirit  of  1916  in  America  is  new. 
Or  is  it  the  Spirit  of  1776  reincarnated  in 
twentieth  century  form?  I  am  constrained 
to  find  familiar    features    as   I  scan    the 


Little  Sermons  for  To-day  21 

spirit  of  Today,  with  my  memory  in  the 
birth-chamber  of  Freedom. 

Battle-flags  and  battle-tales  have  arous- 
ed human  fervor  in  other  days.  This  is  a 
year  that  witnesses  a  people  aroused  to 
shouting  and  doing  when  a  new  hope 
flashes  an  old  word  to  us,  and  we  dedicate 
ourselves  to  the  cause  of  peace.  When 
master  and  man,  white  and  color,  male 
and  female,  culture  and  crudeness,  wealth 
and  labor,  forget  their  apparent  differ- 
ences and  unite  under  the  sacred  banner 
of  the  stars  and  stripes  to  perpetuate  its 
ideals,  we  are  learning  the  meaning  of 
democracy. 

Preparedness  as  a  policy  may  or  may 
not  be  correct.  We  may  blunder  in  many 
ways,  economic,  political,  diplomatic.  But 
so  long  as  the  heart  of  America  beats 
with  the  love  of  American  ideals,  and 
thrills  at  the  thought  of  a  world  at  peace 
in  brotherhood,  we  cannot  fail  in  our  duty. 

We  have  learned  in  this  bloody  year  the 
significance  of  the  Banner  of  Liberty.  We 
know  it  was  not  made  to  wave  in  battle, 
and  to  drip  wath  blood.  It  stands  for  the 
ideals  of  a  nation,  the  heart-beats  of  a 
people.  In  the  red,  white  and  blue  are 
written  democracy,  brotherhood,    liberty. 


22  Little  Sermons  for  To-day 

peace.  And  when  our  thousands  have 
thrilled  at  the  sight  of  the  colors  this 
year,  this  new  sight  under  the  sun  was  a 
proclamation  that  America  shall  be  true 
to  herself  and  to  humanity,  and  that  the 
Star  Spangled  Banner  shall  forever  wave 
over  the  Home  of  the  Brave  and  the  Land 
of  the  Free. 


Little  Sermons  for  To-day  23 


VANISHING  OPPORTUNITIES 

There  is  a  time  when  the  clay  in  the 
potter's  hands  is  just  right  for  the  mould- 
ing. Then  he  may  give  it  any  shape  he 
desires.  If  he  attempt  too  early  to  do  his 
work  the  form  will  not  abide.  Should  he 
wait  too  long  he  cannot  fashion  it  to  his 
ideal.  . 

In  the  life  of  childhood  there  comes  a 
day  when  the  moulder  of  character  may 
design  its  future.  As  the  twig  is  bent 
so  is  the  tree,  and  the  grown  tree  is  hard- 
ly changed.  The  church  today  recognizes 
that  in  the  Sunday  School  is  its  supreme 
opportunity.  The  man  who  calls  the  Sun- 
day School  "sissy"  is  a  back  number.  The 
Church  School  is  the  most  scientific,  up- 
to-the-minute  thing  in  civilization.  Not 
that  it  has  yet  attained  unto  perfection  of 
scientific  principle  and  application,  but 
that  it  fits  more  perfectly  into  the  needs 
of  this  very  hour  than  anything  else  under 
the  flag.  It  prevents  more  crime  than  the 
courts.  It  builds  more  character  than  the 
schools.  It  saves     more    souls    than    the 


24  Little  Sermons  for  To-day 

church.     It  makes  a  nation  greater  than 
commerce  or  learning  or  war. 

Plastic  periods  appear  in  the  life  of 
every  person — days  when  the  soul  is  open 
to  impression.  I  may  not  lead  my  neigh- 
bor to  a  light  that  I  have  seen  when  he 
will  not  open  his  eyes.  He  cannot  hear 
the  music  I  would  bring  to  his  attention 
while  his  ears  are  stopped.  But  when  his 
heart  craves  sympathy,  I  may  lead  him  to 
love.  When  his  soul  feels  the  demand  for 
goodness,  I  may  take  him  to  God.  When 
he  sees  his  own  weakness  and  meanness, 
I  may  point  the  way  to  the  cross  where 
sin  is  taken  away  and  weakness  is  changed 
to  strength. 

Let  me  not,  then,  neglect  the  privileges 
of  the  plastic  moments.  These  are  the  op- 
portunities which,  slipping  by  today,  are 
forever  gone.  In  pottery,  in  childhood, 
in  man's  great  moments,  let  appear  forms 
and  fashions  of  things  to  be. 

Our  time  is  a  period  of  plasticity  in 
the  whole  world.  The  supreme  challenge 
of  the  centuries  comes  now  to  him  who 
believes  in  good  and  God.  While  the  clash 
of  earth's  material  forces  are  led  by  the 
demons  of  strife,  and  the  mind  of  heath- 
endom aches  with  the  pains  of  growth 
into  civilization,  let  him  who  believes  in 


Little  Sermons  for  To-day  25 

the  power  of  things  spiritual  use  the 
chance  to  drive  home  his  truth.  Let  him 
not  now  shirk,  or  else  forever  call  him- 
self a  traitor  to  the  right. 

The  world  is  "up  in  the  air."  Its  mind 
reels,  its  heart  trembles  in  uncertainty. 
We  must  have  a  world-sympathy,  a  world- 
vision,  a  world-work.  We  must  cling 
fast  to  the  faith  that  is  within  us,  and 
shout  aloud  to  our  American  civilization 
that  it  must  trust  in  the  unseen  powers  of 
love  and  peace  and  righteousness.  We 
must  go,  and  send  the  ambassadors  of 
faith,  into  every  unsettled  country  to  say 
to  the  plastic  peoples,  *'You  must  be 
moulded  into  manhood  and  womanhood 
for  God." 


26  Little  Sermons  for  To-day 


THE  AWAKENING  OF  THE 
MASSES 

The  pregnant  sky  o'er  a  busy  age 

Holds  beauty  we  ne'er  have  seen; 
And  threatening  portents  there  engage, 

To   dim   the   glorious   sheen. 
The  sordid  time  hath  not  a  mind 

To  see  the  grandeur  burn, 
Nor  meaning-laden  signs  divine. 

Their  storms'  effects  to  turn. 

There  stirs  a  power  from  its  sleep — 

The  prophets  saw  the  hand 
Of  cloud  that  led  their  rousing  sweep — 

The  oppressed  of  every  land. 
But  the  busy,  seeking,  scheming  world 

Cannot  presage  import. 
Till  all  its  cherished  plans  are  whirled 

In  the  tumult's  frenzied  sport. 

Where  late  was  streaked  the  shining  gleam 

Now  purple  forms  are  heaped. 
And,  wierd,  portentous,  dark,  they  seem 

To  gather  for  the  leap. 
Fiery  streaming  brands  begin 

To  dart  and  flash  and  dance — 
*Tis  the  storm  of  the  waking  world  akin 

Levelling  lightning  lance. 


Little  Sermons  for  To-day  27 


HALF-BAKED  GOODNESS. 

One  way  of  determining  the  character 
of  a  person  is  to  ascertain  the  nature  of 
the  things  to  which  he  gives  first  place. 
Their  attributes  will  reveal  his  own. 

All  attempts  to  level  human  qualities 
must  fail.    That 

"There  is  so  much  good  in  the  worst  of  us, 
And  so  much  bad  in  the  best  of  us, 

That  it  hardly  behooves  any  of  us 
To  talk  about  the  rest  of  us," 

may  be  true,  but  its  implied  thrust  at  per- 
sonal excellence  is  false.  True,  all  have 
within  them  some  good,  and  every  one  has 
some  defects.  But  there  those  who  aban- 
don themselves  to  evil,  while  others  eter- 
nally strive  to  attain  the  best.  No  man 
can  wisely  endeavor  to  put  them  in  the 
same  category. 

A  great  danger  of  our  time,  when  all 
organizations  and  businesses  are  claiming 
to  do  good,  is  that  we  shall  be  satisfied 
with  half-baked  goodness,  with  service 
done  in  selfishness.  I  know  a  man  who 
hesitated  for  a  long  time  among  several 


28  Little  Sermons  for  To-day 

lines  of  professional  work  because  in  each 
there  was  traceable  a  possibility  of  doing 
good  and  of  rendering  service.  The  fact 
was  that  one  of  these  contemplated  pro- 
fessions had  service  as  its  own  aim.  That 
was  all  there  was  in  it.  The  others  had 
merely  the  possibility — their  aims  were 
wealth,  position,  power.  The  young  man 
came  to  see  that  this  seemingly  small  dif- 
ference is  the  most  vital  consideration, 
and  he  gave  himself  to  the  work  which 
was  pre-eminently  good. 

Many  businesses,  organizations  and  pro- 
fessions do  work  of  a  Christian  character 
as  a  sort  of  by-product.  Or,  ministering 
to  selfish  ends  and  in  doubtful  ways,  they 
leave  trace  of  work  which  the  Master 
would  do.  Some  organizations  feel  free 
to  claim  support  in  competition  with  the 
church  because  occasionally  and  to  some 
degree  they  do  work  of  a  Christian  nature. 

Countless  lives  make  decisions  on  the 
same  basis.  Following  their  own  desires, 
going  the  easy  way,  people  are  content 
that  there  shall  be  a  little  by-product  of 
love  and  service  somewhere.  Such  lives 
will  not  save  the  world,  nor  go  far  in  its 
aid.  The  life  which  counts  is  the  one  in 
which  service,  goodness,  Christ  are  pre- 
eminent. When  William  Booth  was  asked 


Little  Sermons  for  To-day  29 

how  it  was  that  the  Salvation  Army  under 
his  guidance  had  done  such  marvelous 
work  he  answered,  "Because  I  have 
sought  only  to  serve  God  and  humanity. 
Because  God  has  all  there  is  of  me." 

Millions  of  men  and  women  are  chas- 
ing the  selfish  desires  of  their  own  lives. 
The  suffering,  aimless  world  does  not 
need  you  and  me  if  we  are  going  to  fall 
in  with  the  mad  millions.  It  does  need 
us  sorely,  if  we  will  make  service  first, 
put  humanity  ahead  of  ourselves,  let 
Jesus  have  the  place  He  claims — the 
head. 

The  best  prayer  for  a  Christian  is  that 
of  Paul — that  among  all  things  Christ 
should  have  pre-eminence.  Not  that  we 
shall  do  His  will  when  it  can  be  done  as 
we  go  about  our  own  ways.  Not  that  we 
shall  do  a  little  good  if  it  can  be  done  while 
we  seek  self-aggrandizement.  No.  A 
hundred  institutions  do  that.  A  thous- 
and half-hearted,  long-distance  followers 
of  the  gleam  are  ahead  of  you.  No.  But 
that  we  put  Him  FIRST ;  that  we  do  His 
will  whether  or  no;  that  we  serve  hu- 
manity with  whom  He  identified  Himself 
regardless  of  what  it  does  to  us ;  that  our 
lives  be  truly  Christ  on  earth. 


30  Little  Sermons  for  To-day 


IS  THE  WORLD  CONTENT? 

'This  is  a  pretty  good  world,  and  the 
preachers  should  let  it  alone.  If  the  peo- 
ple are  satisfied  with  themselves  why 
shouldn't  they  be  left  to  their  satisfac- 
tion?" This  high-sounding  slur  has  been 
hurled  at  every  man  who  has  tried  to 
call  an  Israel  from  the  flesh-pots.  But 
the  only  leader  who  can  justify  his  occu- 
pation of  the  position  is  one  who  will 
arouse  people  into  new  and  loftier  desires. 

The  answer  to  this  criticism  however, 
lies  deeper  than  that.  The  world  is  not 
satisfied.  Nothing  is  settled  until  it  is 
settled  right.  And  so  long  as  an  individ- 
ual chases  a  false  phantom  of  life,  so  long 
Avill  his  better  hours  upbraid  and  unsettle 
him.  The  world  is  not  content,  because 
it  is  so  often  condemned  of  itself. 

The  world  could  not  do  without  its 
preachers,  prophets  of  righteousness,  call- 
ing unwilling  people  to  heights  of  char- 
acter they  are  loath  to  climb.  Every  one 
in  his  best  hours  sees  a  vision  of  devotion 
to  righteousness;  he  needs  some  one  to 
keep  that  light  burning  in  his  darker  mo- 
ments.    That  is  the  preacher's  function. 


Little  Sermons  for  To-day  31 

It  is  his  to  proclaim  the  eternal  strife  be- 
tween right  and  wrong,  and  to  enlist  men 
to  battle  on  the  right  side. 

Do  you  not    know  he    is  right?     You 
will  not  deny  that  tomorrow  you  will  re- 
fuse to  become  a  murderer.    You  will  not 
steal.    No  lie  shall  cross  your  lips  to  give 
you  advantage  over  your  neighbor.  Why? 
Because  your  soul  has  answered  that  some 
ways  are  wrong,  and  some  right.    Where, 
then,  will  you  draw  the  line?    What  is  it 
that  makes  murder    wrong  and    service 
right?     Why  is  it  beneath  you  to  steal, 
and  a  best  part    of  you  to    give?     Why 
should  you  refuse  to  lie,  and  strive  for 
truth?    Why  is  love  beter  than  hate?  An- 
swer, Why?    There  can  be  no  reason  at 
all,  except  that  God  has  drawn  the  line 
sharply  between     good    and    evil.     The 
world  needs  to  learn  that,  and  to  be  filled 
with  prophets  leading  it  into  the  truth. 
As  the  individual  halts  between  the  two 
courses  there  can  be  no  final  solution  of 
his  perplexity  until  he  gives  himself  un- 
reservedly to  the  right.     Any  other  de- 
cision is  a  makeshift  that  will  not  stand 
the  storms. 

Now  when  we  go  a  step  farther  and  say 
that  in  allegiance  to  the  right  one  must 
give  his  allegiance  to  the  Man  of  Galli- 
lee,  we  are  met  by  the  query,  *Ts  He  the 


32  Little  Sermons  for  To-day 

Way,  the  Truth,  the  Life?"  And  bless- 
ings on  the  honest  query.  Know  this, 
everything  good  in  life  has  first  been  met 
by  doubt.  Galileo  met  nothing  but  doubt 
with  his  discovery.  Men  tried  to  laugh 
the  early  telephone  out  of  endeavor,  but 
yesterday  men  talked  across  the  continent. 
We  said  an  airship  would  not  fly,  and  a 
submarine  would  not  swim,  but  today 
they  are  the  terror  of  the  war. 

Doubt  is  good,  it  is  a  saviour,  when  it 
is  the  honest  doubt  of  which  Tennyson 
wrote,  which  demands  and  seeks  the 
truth.  Jesus  recognized  this  when  He 
said,  "If  any  man  will  do  His  will,  he  shall 
know  of  the  doctrine,  whether  it  be  of 
God,  or  whether  I  speak  of  myself."  In 
other  words,  'Tf  you  have  honest  doubts, 
try  me  and  you  shall  know."  If  any  man 
will  follow  the  gleam  of  light  which  is 
his,  in  the  distinction  between  right  and 
wrong,  in  his  knowledge  that  service  is 
the  best  end  of  life,  that  Jesus  is  the 
world's  greatest  teacher,  he  shall  arrive 
at  the  sun,  and  know  that  Jesus  is  God. 
The  world  knows  these  things.  It  needs 
but  to  follow  them  earnestly.  Seek  right- 
eousness, give  yourself  to  service,  sit  at 
the  feet  of  this  Great  Teacher,  and  your 
doubts  shall  be  resolved,  and  you  shall 
know  that  He  is  God. 


Little  Sermons  for  To-day  33 


IS  THERE  A  SIMPLE  GOSPEL? 

Occasionally  some  one  breaks  forth  in 
a  self-righteous  demand  for  a  preaching 
of  the  simple  gospel.  It  seems  to  me  his 
contention  can  be  disposed  of  in  short  or- 
der and  with  simple  statements.  Usually 
he  is  speaking  in  criticism  of  another  who 
is  preaching  in  a  fashion  of  which  the  com- 
plainer  does  not  approve. 

There  is  a  kernel  of  the  Christian  mes- 
sage. It  is  that  there  is  a  way  of  salva- 
tion through  Jesus  Christ.  But  there  is 
no  such  thing  as  the  ''simple  gospel"  de- 
manded by  those  who  forbid  the  universal 
application  of  this  message.  What  they 
desire  is  for  a  man  to  repeat  over  and 
over  certain  verses  of  Scripture,  to  know 
all  their  firsts,  secondlies,  etc.,  and  to  use 
a  group  of  antiquated  religious  expres- 
sions that  meant  much  to  the  worship- 
pers of  another  day,  but  are  almost  empty 
to  the  modern  mind,  and  entirely  out  of 
place  in  modern  terminology. 

When  a  man  lifts  his  voice  against  so- 
cial and  industrial  injustice,  the  oppres- 
sor raises  a  cry  for  the  "simple  gospel.'* 


34  Little  Sermons  for  To-day 

When  the  church  is  militant  against  the 
legalized  liquor  traffic,  its  supporters,  ar- 
dent enemies  of  the  gospel  message,  are 
disturbed  about  the  decay  in  the  spirit  of 
the  church  which  is  evidenced  by  such  a 
harmful  departure  from  the  "simple  gos- 
pel." When  the  gospel  is  made  plain  and 
meaningful  to  some  stranger  to  the 
church  who  cannot  think  in  its  old  terms, 
some  Godly  critic  places  his  narrow  big- 
otry between  the  hungry  soul  and  God, 
crying  out,  "That  is  not  the  'simple  gos- 
pel. 


5    )} 


The  gospel  is  as  varied  as  human  be- 
ings, as  deep  as  life,  as  broad  as  man's  in- 
terests. There  is  no  narrow,  restricted, 
holy  field.  God  is  God  of  all  life.  The 
message  of  Jesus  is  for  the  regeneration 
and  purification  of  every  man.  Its  ^im  is 
to  make  him  clean  in  word,  holy  in  deed, 
pure  in  thought,  strong  in  soul,  such  a 
man  as  God  can  delight  in.  It  aims  to 
fill  society  with  a  new  spirit,  so  that 
everywhere  men  will  practice  the  princi- 
ples of  love,  and  the  kingdom  of  God  will 
come  on  earth. 

Who  can  conceive  of  the  innumerable 
realms  of  presentation  yet  untouched  by 
evangels?  Let  the  holy  fire  of  inspiration 
light  up  man's  heart  to  find  ways  to  God 


Little  Sermons  for  To-day  35 

in  paths  yet  unknown,  and  by  all  thoughts, 
all  words,  all  deeds,  by  every  glimmering 
spark  that  may  draw  a  longing  or  a  stub- 
born soul,  let  men  be  led  to  walk  in  the 
way  that  leads  to  life  now  and  life  ever- 
lasting. 


36  Little  Sermons  for  To-day 


RELIGIOUS  BOSSES 

Bossism  is  a  destestable  pollution 
wherever  it  is  found.  In  politics  it  means 
corruption,  in  industry  its  fruit  is  oppres- 
sion, in  the  church  it  breeds  stagnation, 
and  in  religious  life  it  cannot  exist  with- 
out bigotry  and  hypocrisy. 

But  the  boss  is  not  only  the  one  who 
has  the  name.    Often  the  meanest,  meas- 
liest dictatorial   spirit  hides  in  the   man 
who  yells  loudest  about  the  bosses  who 
have  power.     I  have  heard  lamentations 
and     groanings,  with     vengeful     curses, 
come  from  the  lips  of  one  whose  narrow- 
ness and  bigotry  are  to  the  autocrat's  as 
the  ocean  to  the  bucket.    All  he  required 
to  become  the  hardest,  most  over-bearing 
man-driver  was  the  opportunity.  Remem- 
ber that  the  pot  called  the  kettle  black. 
Most  rulers  are  better  than  the  complain- 
ing ruled  would  be.     Half  the  loud-yell- 
ing critics  of  the  over-lords  are  good  be- 
cause they  have  to  be. 

The  spirit  of  bossism  manifests  itself 
in  the  despicable  condemnation  of  those 
who  live  or  believe   a   little    differently 


Little  Sermons  for  To-day  Z7 

from  the  critics.  We  cannot  all  have  the 
same  type  of  religious  experience.  We 
are  different.  In  all  Southern  California's 
resplendent  groves  no  two  golden  oranges 
have  been  sun-kissed  into  the  same  beauty 
of  form  and  color.  When  the  Divine 
Sculptor  of  the  human  face  gave  form 
to  the  beauty  of  the  baby's  countenance, 
he  put  aside  the  pattern,  never  to  be  used 
again.  Just  so,  no  two  spiritual  natures 
are  exactly  alike.  Our  experiences  can- 
not be  identical.  When  God  grips  us  with 
his  power,  he  deals  with  us  as  individu- 
als. 

Do  not  demand  that  every  one  come  to 
the  throne  by  the  path  that  you  took.  Nor 
be  dissatisfied  that  your  way  was  differ- 
ent from  another's.  Suffice  it  that  God 
dwells  with  each ;  that  you  have  both 
found  the  way  to  Him. 


38  Little  Sermons  for  To-day 


THE  CHRISTIAN  A 

WORLD-CITIZEN 

The  man  who  has  not  the  world-reach 
is  out  of  date.  The  trouble  with  Europe 
now  is  that  it  is  living  in  another  age. 
They  have  not  passed  the  ideals  of  the 
Feudal  Lords.  They  have  toyed  with  the 
sacred  words,  "Brotherhood  of  Man,"  but 
never  learned  their  meaning.  Narrow, 
provincial  citizenship  today  bears  fruit  in 
hideous  enmity. 

And  yet  the  powers  that  be  will  not 
learn  the  lesson  that  the  fruit  is  war  be- 
cause the  tree  is  of  Hell.  Every  time 
peace  is  mentioned  and  we  hope  to  catch 
a  glimpse  of  human  brotherhood,  they  set 
themselves  to  planning  ways  to  cut  the 
enemy's  throat  after  the  war  is  over.  That 
is,  they  plan  to  make  war,  and  call  it 
peace.  They  forget  humanity  in  pride 
and  hate.  The  scheming  men  of  Europe, 
planning  peaceable  destruction  of  war- 
time enemies,  are  dwarfed,  shrunken  cari- 
catures of  manhood  when  seen  in  the  light 
of  world-citizenship. 

The  bed-rock  of  truth,  and  of  things  as 


Little  Sermons  for  To-day  39 

they  should  be  in  our  hearts,  was  reach- 
ed the  other  day  when  a  French  soldier 
gave  his  last  ounce  of  life  to  save  a  wound- 
ed German  lying  by  his  side.  The  German 
had  lost  one  arm  and  the  other  hand,  and 
was  bleeding  to  death.  The  Frenchman 
tore  off  his  shirt  and  with  it  staunched 
the  flow  of  his  enemy's  blood.  Then  fall- 
ing back  exhausted  he  died  from  his  own 
wounds ;  but  the  man  whom  he  had  re- 
lieved was  saved.  When  telling  the  story 
to  his  friends  the  German  soldier  said,  *Tf 
I  get  to  heaven,  the  first  man  I  want  to 
meet  is  that  Frenchman."  Yet,  with  hu- 
man vision  stifled  in  the  grip  of  war's  hy- 
pocrisy, they  go  forth  to  kill  that  French- 
man's friends  and  brothers.  Thus  do  they 
all  make  liars  of  their  hearts. 

Christian  love  and  sympathy  reach 
around  the  world.  Men  are  trying  to 
squeeze  God  down  into  their  narrow  big- 
otry. They  endeavor  to  ally  him  against 
a  great  mass  of  mankind.  They  cry  out, 
not  to  the  father  of  all,  but  to  some  clan- 
nish God,  hating  other  men.  And  they 
will  discover  that  such  prayers,  failing  to 
find  the  God  of  love,  fall  back  upon  their 
hearts,  galling  venom,  deadly  to  the  spirit 
of  man. 

Away  with  it!     What  think  they?     Is 


40  Little  Sermons  for  To-day 

Jesus  dead?  Did  he  speak  for  naught? 
Have  twenty  centuries  but  swept  us  back- 
ward with  their  passing  current?  Can  the 
Saviour  of  humanity  be  coaxed  or  threat- 
ened into  bigotry,  partiaHty,  provincial- 
ism and  hatred?  Not  so.  His  love  em- 
braces all.  None  are  without  its  scope. 
The  follower  of  Jesus  is  a  world-citizen, 
with  brothers  and  interests  wherever  there 
is  a  human  aspiration. 


Little  Sermons  for  To-day  41 


WORRY 

Text:  "Let  not  thy  thoughts  trouble 
thee."  Dan.  5:10. 

The  king,  to  whom  these  words  were 
spoken  was  manifesting  a  characteristic 
later  seen  in  a  people  who  pride  them- 
selves on  great  advances  over  his  knowl- 
edge and  attainment.  But,  even  yet,  they 
have  not  learned  to  take  the  simple  advice 
of  the  text. 

The  king  was  sore  troubled;  his 
thoughts  bothered  him ;  he  was  worried. 
Now  comes  the  queen  to  him  with  these 
words,  ''Let  not  thy  thoughts  trouble 
thee."  I  have  not  seen  a  better  definition 
of  worry  than  is  suggested  in  this  text. 
All  the  harm  it  brings  to  us  comes  from 
within  ourselves,  and  when  we  worry  we 
submit  ourselves  to  an  infliction  which 
might  be  avoided. 

Everybody  kaows  it  is  no  fun  to  worry. 
No  one  would  think  of  paying  subscrip- 
tions to  a  periodical  that  contained  only 
news  or  articles  that  would  make  him 
worry.  You  wouldn't  pay  admission  to  a 
concert  for  the  purpose  of  being  worried. 


42  Little  Sermons  for  To-day 

It  doesn't  do  any  good.  You  may  worry 
until  your  cheeks  are  white,  your  hair 
gray,  your  eyes  black,  and  your  system 
blue;  and  it  won't  do  as  much  good  as 
one  good  yawn.  But  worry  does  do 
things  to  the  person  whose  mental  house 
it  inhabits.  Here  are  some  of  those 
things. 

Worry  gets  its  hold  on  the  mind,  and 
makes  itself  supreme.  It  soon  weakens 
the  will,  and  the  power  of  decision.  A 
man  who  will  let  himself  worry,  and  dilly- 
dally between  possible  courses  of  action, 
will  soon  come  to  the  place  where  dilly- 
dallying is  about  the  best  he  can  do.  Valu- 
able assets  in  this  age  of  strenuous  activ- 
ity are  the  power  of  quick  decision,  and 
strength  of  will  to  carry  out  the  course 
decided  upon.  Of  these  assets  worry  will 
rob  every  person  who  lets  it  get  a  hold 
in  his  mental  habitation. 

Another  thing  it  does  is  to  poison  pleas- 
ure. He  who  will  worry  about  his  work 
cannot  get  much  pleasure  from  it.  I 
worked  in  a  mill  by  a  man  who  dreaded 
criticism  so  much  that  at  every  difficult 
task  he  trembled,  and  wondered  if  his 
work  would  please  the  foreman;  so  that 
tomorrow's  possible  chagrin  hung  like  a 
cloud  over  today's  work.    What  he  should 


Little  Sermons  for  To-day  45 

have  done  was  to  say  to  himself,  ''This 
is  my  work,  and  I  have  a  certain  ability 
to  meet  it.  I  will  do  my  best,"  then  gc 
at  it,  and  leave  tomorrow  to  care  for  it- 
self. 

You  can't  get  any  pleasure  out  of  your 
w^ork,  or  your  religion,  or  your  frolics  if 
you  worry  about  them  all  the  time.  I 
have  gone  out  to  skate  upon  the  frozen 
surface  of  the  lake  after  a  dozen  admoni- 
tions to  be  careful  and  a  few  tales  of  boys 
that  were  drowned  sometime ;  and  every 
creak  of  the  ice  sent  a  shiver  through  me. 
I  have  been  in  a  boat  upon  the  rippling 
waters  of  a  gentle  river,  and  worried 
about  a  ducking  or  wet  feet  or  other 
things  until  most  of  the  fun  was  gone. 

And  physically  there  is  something  done 
to  you  by  this,  your  subtle  enemy.  It 
takes  appetite.  A  young  man  was  asked 
by  his  physician  how  his  appetite  was,, 
and  he  seemed  to  remember  that  it  had 
not  be  so  good  lately.  And  he  worried 
about  it.  Next  meal  he  worried  about  it^ 
and  he  could  eat  less.  At  night  he  didn't 
want  a  bite,  and  the  next  day  his  food 
choked  in  his  throat.     Perfectly  natural. 

And  sleep !  What  troublesome  thoughts 
do   to   sleep.     They    run   away    with  it,. 


44  Little  Sermons  for  To-day 

dump  it  into  a  bottomless  pit,  or  murder 
it  before  your  eyes.  Let  them  get  one 
chance  at  you  when  you  lie  down  for  your 
rest,  and  the  coveted  sleep  is  gone.  All 
of  these  influences  mean  that  worry  opens 
the  way  to  disease.  Worry  about  it,  and 
you'll  get  it.  There  was  typhoid  in  a  cer- 
tain community  where  two  men  roomed 
together.  They  were  duly  informed  and 
from  that  moment  all  one  of  them  thought 
of  was  typhoid.  He  ate  and  drank  and 
read  and  slept  with  typhoid  in  his  mind 
until  the  way  was  open  for  any  germ  that 
came  along  singing  its  little  song  of  poi- 
son, and  he  got  some.  The  other  took  all 
precautions  that  he  could,  cleaned  up  the 
surroundings,  and  cleared  out  the  mind 
as  well;  and  they  couldn't  find  a  place  to 
stop.  Two  weeks  ago  a  girl  became  so 
excited  because  of  the  possibilities  of  hy- 
drophobia that  she  got  it  without  being 
near  a  dog.  If  you  don't  believe  it  try 
it  yourself. 

Now  worry  works  upon  one's  religion 
in  the  same  way.  If  you  will  show  me  a 
woman  who  worries  most  of  the  time 
about  the  home,  or  the  bills,  or  the  chil- 
dren, I'll  show  you  a  lady  whom  you  must 
approach  gently,  or  she'll  snap  your  head 
off.     That   poor   fellow,   play-fellow   and 


Little  Sermons  for  To-day  45 

yoke-fellow  of  worry,  will  soon  be  so  self- 
ish he  can't  think  of  any  one  else. 

Faith  and  peace  fly  out  of  the  window 
when  you  open  the  door  of  your  heart  to 
distrust  and  troubled  thoughts.  Faith  im- 
plies a  trust  that  will  not  waste  itself  in 
useless  wondering  and  puzzling.  Peace 
cannot  be  where  time  and  energy  are 
spent  in  bothering  about  things  as  they 
are.  Joy  and  faith  and  peace  are  of  the 
fruits  of  religion,  and  worry  robs  the  soul 
of  these  rich  fruits  as  soon  as  it  can  get 
into  the  orchard  where  they  grow. 

We  can  permit  some  evil  if  there  is  a 
recompense  in  good.  A  painful  operation 
will  be  wise  if  it  spare  more  pain  in  the 
future.  Hard  work  we  will  do  because 
there  is  a  payment  in  results  and  in  char- 
acter. But  search  from  the  dawn  of  his- 
tory until  tomorrow;  wander  in  every 
realm  where  men  have  lived ;  study  physi 
ology;  bring  forth  the  vague  possibili- 
ties of  psychology  and  you  will  return 
empty-handed  if  you  have  sought  for  a 
good  result  that  worry  has  to  ofifer.  It  is 
like  kicking  against  the  weather — per- 
fectly useless. 


46  Little  Sermons  for  To-day 

Waintin'  foh  de  sunshine, 

When  de  sky  is  gray; 
Whinin'   an'   a-pinin' 

Foh  de  blues  to  go  away; 
See    de   water    trickle 

Down  de  window  pane, 
Wish  dat  it  would  hurry  'long 

An'  neber  come  again. 

Wishin'  foh  de  rain  storm 

When  de  drought  comes  roun' 
Wonder  why  dat  sunshine  keep 

A-dryin'  out  de   groun'; 
Better  stop  dis  kickin', 

Doesn't  help   a  bit; 
Kin'  o'  weather  what  you  has 

Is  all  you's  gwinter  git. 


Now  if  all  this  be  true;  if  worry's  of- 
ferings are  all  of  evil  and  none  of  good, 
what  should  we  do  about  it?  The  answer 
is,  ''Condemn,  outlaw,  banish,  kill;  do 
anything  that  can  be  done  to  rid  the  land 
of  man's  mind  of  this  traitor." 

How  shall  we  do  it?  The  first  thing 
to  do  is  to  be  determined  to  be  rid  of  it. 
There  must  always  be  a  starting  point, 
and  this  is  a  good  one.  During  our  most 
recent  panic  a  man  of  large  business  was 
in  difficulty  and  could  not  see  how  to  save 
his  business.  He  was  gloomy  and  de- 
spondent, when  he  went  into  an  office  up- 


Little  Sermons  for  To-day  47 

on  the  wall  of  which  was  hanging  a  card 
with  these  words :  ''If  everything  is  black, 
hold  on.  Don't  give  up.  It  is  in  the  dark- 
est hour  that  the  sun's  dawning  rays 
gleam."  And  he  said,  as  he  gritted  his 
teeth,  "I  believe  that's  so,"  and  went  out 
of  there  with  head  and  chest  up,  and  the 
new  determination  carried  him  to  victory. 

The  determination  to  win ;  to  clean  out 
the  mental  hostelry,  and  make  ready  for 
new  guests  will  go  a  long  way  toward  the 
victory.  Resolution,  purpose,  persist- 
ence are  hard  workers  for  whomsoever 
commands.  "I  will"  is  the  master  of  des- 
tinies. 


"I  Will"  has  a  spirit  that  nothing  daunts; 

Once  he  gets  his  eye  on  the  thing  he  wants 
He  rolls  up  his  sleeves,  and  he  pitches  in 

With  a  splendid  zeal  that  is  bound  to  win. 

"I  Will"  never  hesitates  lest  he  fail — 

In  his  heart  he's  sure  that  he  will  prevail. 

No  mountain  can  halt  him,  however  high; 
There's  no  task  so  hard  but  he'll  have  a  try. 

"I  Will"  sets  his  teeth  when  things  start  off 
wrong; 

He  just  grins,  and  mutters:  "This  can't  last 
long. 

I'll  take  a  fresh  start;  and  Adversity 

Will  be  going  some  if  he  catches  me." 


48  Little  Sermons  for  To-dav 

^'I  Will"  has  a  punch  hid  in  either  hand; 

He   has   training,   strength,   and  a   heap   of 
sand; 

He  swings  his  hard  fists  in  the  world's  grim 
face, 

And  he  bangs  away  until  the  world  gives 
place. 

*'l  Will"  understands  in  his  ov/n  strength  lies 

The  one  chance  he'll  get  at  the  things  men 
prize. 

Discouragement,  failure — nothing  can  chill 

The   stout  heart  of  him  who    declares,   "I 
Will!" 

To  make  the  determination  to  rid  the 
life  of  worry  does  not  mean  that  you  will 
refuse  to  take  proper  forethought  and  use 
sufficient  care  to  meet  with  intelligent  ac- 
tion the  tasks  of  the  day.  He  would  be 
foolish  who  would  throw  discretion  and 
investigation  to  the  wind,  and  say  idioti- 
cally, "Let  things  take  care  of  them- 
selves." 

But  it  does  mean  that  you  refuse  to  let 
useless,  unfruitful  pondering  and  wonder- 
ing have  the  time  of  your  mind.  Said  the 
old  Quaker,  "Two  things  thee  must  not 
worry  about;  the  things  thee  can  help, 
and  the  things  thee  cannot."  And  he 
spoke  wisely. 

If  the  thing  that  threatens  to  bring 
worry  to  you,  or  has  already  taken  its 


Little  Sermons  for  To-day  49 

hold,  be  of  the  things  you  cannot  help, 
then  stop  the  worry.  God  did  not  give 
you  the  universe  to  carry,  and  the  im- 
possibilities are  not  your  burdens.  If 
there  be  nothing  you  can  do,  then  let  not 
the  burden  rest  upon  your  mind  and  heart. 
The  answer  which  a  prosaic  editor  sent 
to  a  certain  lady  of  poetic  bent  may  have 
its  lesson  for  us  all.  The  lady  wrote,  in- 
quiring: 

"Dear  Editor:  What  shall  I  do ?  Each 
morn  when  I  visit  my  henyard,  as  the 
beams  of  the  rising  sun  flash  upon  it,  I 
find  two  or  three  fowls  lying  upon  their 
backs,  their  feet  pointing  to  the  empyrean 
blue  and  their  souls  wandering  through 
fields  Elysian.    What  is  the  matter?" 

The  answer  came  to  her  by  return  mail. 

"Dear  Madam:  The  principal  trouble 
with  your  hens  seems  to  be  that  they  are 
dead.  There  isn't  much  that  you  can  do, 
as  they  will  probably  remain  in  that  con- 
dition for  some  time." 

If,  on  the  other  hand,  the  troublesome 
thoughts  be  concerning  something  you 
can  remedy,  and  ought  to  remedy,  get  at 
it.  Look  the  situation  over  carefully,  ex- 
amine it  from  every  view-point,  find  just 
what  can  be  done,  and  what  cannot  be 


50  Little  Sermons  for  To-day 

done.  Then  decide  upon  your  course  of 
action,  and  get  at  it.  Work,  dig,  sweat; 
do  what  it  demands.  But  once  your  line 
of  action  is  decided  upon,  do  not  waste 
your  energy  wondering  if  you  have  made 
the  right  decision ;  never  ponder  over  what 
might  have  been.  Take  care  of  the  pos- 
sibilities of  the  now  and  the  to  be. 

Be  sure  that  your  life  has  a  task  worth 
while ;  let  it  be  so  busy  really  doing  things 
that  it  will  have  no  time  to  run  round  in 
rings.  The  best  way  to  get  clear  of  a 
harmful  thought  is  to  fill  the  mind  with 
helpful  ones.  If  you  would  keep  the  bit- 
ter from  your  heart,  fill  all  its  corners  with 
the  sweet. 

Now  another  task  for  him  who  worries 
is  to  do  what  he  can  to  change  out- 
ward circumstances  that  induce  the  un- 
lovely mental  attitude.  Perchance  it  is 
an  association  with  the  furniture  of  the 
home,  or  the  home  itself,  or  some  friends, 
and  these  associations  should  be  changed 
for  awhile.  Perhaps  the  source  of  men- 
tal attitude  may  be  in  tender  grief  for 
some  dear  ones  who  are  waiting  on  the 
other  shore ;  and  every  flower  they  loved, 
each  room  they  used,  and  the  pieces  of 
furniture  that  they  touched  bring  to  mind 
the  suffering  that  is  for  those  who  remain 


Little  Sermons  for  To-day  51 

on  this  side.  Let  us  be  sure  of  this,  that 
the  best  memory  of  a  dear  one  is  a  life  of 
kindness  and  love  to  those  who  walk  now 
the  earthly  way.  It  is  a  duty  of  every 
person  whose  life  is  losing  its  sweetness 
and  cheer  because  of  even  so  dear  a  thing 
as  sorrow  for  a  lost  loved  one,  to  change 
conditions. 

A  good  thing  to  do  is  to  get  away  as 
much  as  possible  from  the  associations 
that  are  most  sombre.  If  possible  get 
away  from  the  house  for  awhile.  If  not, 
change  the  setting  of  the  furniture,  the  po- 
sition of  pictures  and  rugs.  Get  a  new 
atmosphere.  This  will  help  in  conquering 
any  morbid  influence  that  is  too  weighty 
in  the  life.  Break  the  physical  ties  which 
bind  you  to  the  mental  conditions,  and 
the  way  is  opened  to  the  freedom  to  be  at- 
tained when  other  things  are  done. 

Suggestion  seems  to  some  to  be  a  weak 
word,  and  to  others  a  dangerous  one.  It 
is  both  strong  and  safe  if  properly  used. 
And  every  one  has  the  privilege  of  using 
it  on  himself.  To  many  it  seems  silly  to 
try  to  fool  one's  self  into  an  easy  condi- 
tion of  mind.  But  it  is  not  nearly  as  silly 
as  fooling  one's  self  into  a  diseased  and 
troubled  condition,  as  many  do.  If  you 
worry,  get  quiet,  relax  body  and  mind,  and 


52  Little  Sermons  for  To-day 

tell  yourself  it  will  be  all  right.  Say  to 
yourself  that  you  will  be  full  of  peace  and 
power.  Do  it  over  and  over.  This  is 
sound  psychology — that  one  may  help 
himself  by  suggestion. 

And  then,  dwell  upon  the  good  and 
happy  things.  Get  all  the  good  there  is 
for  you.  There  is  too  much  good  in  the 
world;  too  much  blue  in  the  sky,  and 
brightness  in  the  sunlight;  the  men  and 
women  are  too  full  of  goodness,  for  us  to 
go  through  the  world  dwelling  with  tlie 
ugly  things.  Many  folks  seem  to  run  from 
the  bright  things  of  life.  They  are  like  a 
tramp  who  applied  to  a  lady  for  work, 
and  when  she  told  him  she  had  a  cord  of 
wood  to  be  cut  up  and  she  was  just  going 
to  send  for  a  man  to  do  it,  he  replied, 
"That  so,  mum?  Where  does  he  live? 
I'll  go  and  get  him." 

But  we  should  run  to  the  good  things; 
we  should  see  them,  and  live  them.  If 
we  think  the  world  is  all  full  of  evil  and 
blackness,  the  trouble  may  be  with  the 
glasses  through  which  we  look. 

Some  people  are  a-growlin'  an*  a  howlin'  day 

an'  night 
An'  a-rantin'  an*  a-railin*  'cause  the  world  ain't 

goin'  right. 


Little  Sermons  for  To-day  53 

They  are  weepin'  o'er  its  sorrows  an'  they  keep 
its  woes  in  view, 

An'  they  never  note  the  sweetness  o'  the  roses 
drippin'  dew. 

Some  people  in  their  frettin'  are  forgettin'  bless- 
ings rare, 

They  fail  to  breathe  the  fragrance  that  is  float- 
in'  on  the  air. 

They  keep  the  thorn  an'  thistle  an'  the  nettles 
aye  in  view. 

They  pass  the  blushin'  roses  in  their  haste  to 
pluck  the  rue. 

This  world  may  have  its  failin's,  but  there's 
good  enough  for  all, 

An'  we  may  choose  the  sweetness  or  bitterness 
an'  gall. 

An'  if  we  seek  the  shadows,  an'  if  we  shun  the 
light, 

'Tis  we,  an'  not  the  world,  friends,  that  ain't 
a-goin'  right. 


These  are  all  sane,  scientific  means  one 
may  use  to  conquer  a  powerful  enemy  of 
the  peace  of  mankind.  There  remains  the 
most  potent  of  the  remedies  to  be  men- 
tioned. That  which  can  do  most  to  rid 
the  life  of  worry,  and  fill  it  with  peace, 
is  a  firm,  trustful,  religious  faith.  A  faith 
that  will  not  let  go,  that  trusts  when  it 
does  not  see,  and  calmly  rests  in  its  strong 
belief,  will  conquer  many  of  the  ills  that 
flesh  is  heir  to. 

Hear  the    words  of  the    psychologist, 


54  Little  Sermons  for  To-day 

William  James,  who  speaks  from  the  sci- 
entific standpoint :  "Of  course  the  sover- 
eign cure  for  worry  is  religious  faith.  The 
turbulent  billows  of  the  fretful  surface 
leave  the  deep  parts  of  the  ocean  undis- 
turbed, and  to  him  who  has  hold  on  vaster 
and  more  permanent  realities  the  hourly 
vicissitudes  of  his  personal  destiny  seem 
relatively  insignificant  things.  The  really 
religious  person  is  accordingly  unshak- 
able and  full  of  equanimity,  and  calmly 
ready  for  any  duty  that  the  day  may 
bring  forth." 

This  kind  of  test  would  give  a  low  score 
to  the  faith  of  some  of  us ;  but  it  tells  what 
the  faith  should  be.  Oh,  for  a  faith  that 
is  worthy  of  the  name !  Who  can  believe 
truly,  and  then  let  the  life  doubt  that  in 
which  he  believes?  O  ye  of  little  faith! 
Let  him  who  has  faith  open  the  heart  in 
prayer  for  the  needed  things — for  peace, 
for  quiet,  for  power — and  then  trust.  Just 
lean  upon  the  arms  of  Jesus,  then  leave 
all  to  Him. 

It  is  the  Creator  of  the  world  that  rules 
it,  and  it  will  run  according  to  His  pur- 
pose. It  is  the  Father  of  us  who  guides 
our  lives,  and  they  will  be  cared  for  ac- 
cording to  His  love.  We  will,  then,  trust 
through  all  the  way.     In  the  hour  of  un- 


Little  Sermons  for  To-day        .  55 

certainty  we  will  believe  with  Browning 
that,  *'The  best  of  life  is  yet  to  come;  the 
last  for  which  the  first  was  made.  Our 
times  are  in  His  hand,  who  says,  *A  whole 
I  planned ;  youth  sees  but  half.' 


> }) 


Faith  and  peace  which  are  of  the  fruits 
of  religion  are  incompatible  with  worry, 
and  when  they  fill  the  heart,  no  room  is 
for  rent  or  occupancy  by  worry.  Here, 
as  in  many  another  place,  faith  is  the  vic- 
tory. Worry  cannot  harm  the  life  that 
yields  itself  to  God,  knows  His  love  en- 
compasses it,  and  lets  His  will  be  done. 

"I  know  not  where  His  islands  lift  their  frond- 

ed  palms  in  air, 
I   only  know   I   cannot  drift  beyond  His  love 

and  care." 


56  Little  Sermons  for  To-day 


MAKING  GOOD  IN  A  PINCH 

Life  is  a  struggle,  and  it  is  the  emerg- 
encies that  bring  out  real  differences  in 
men.  Roosevelt  compared  life  to  a  foot- 
ball game,  and  said,  "Hit  the  line  hard." 
Like  life  again,  in  every  football  game 
where  there  is  a  real  struggle  the  test 
comes  in  the  pinch.  The  winning  team  is 
not  the  one  that  can  gain  five  yards  on 
the  first  down,  but  the  one  that  can  make 
good  on  the  fourth  down  with  one  yard 
to  go.  On  Thanksgiving  Day  I  witnessed 
a  game  between  two  splendidly  matched 
teams.  My  favorite,  with  three  minutes 
to  play,  and  two  points  behind  their  op- 
ponents, swept  magnificently  down  the 
field  to  the  enemy's  five-yard  line.  The 
supreme  test  of  the  tense  two  hours  came 
when  the  twenty-two  men  lined  up  for 
those  final  plunges.  And  when  they  piled 
up  into  the  unmoving  mountain  of  strain- 
ing flesh  we  knew  that  the  weight  and 
muscles  of  the  enemy  had  made  good  in 
the  pinch. 

Pinches  and  emergencies  bring  out  the 
real  qualities  of  life  and  character.  Men 
grind  along  day  after  day  in  the  course  of 


Little  Sermons  for  To-day  57 

employment.  None  advance  over  the 
others,  and  the  studious,  earnest  work- 
man questions  whether  his  honesty  and 
industry  are  worth  while.  But  one  day 
an  emergency  arises — the  men  are  thrown 
suddenly  on  their  own  resources  in  a  sit- 
uation demanding  knowledge,  skill,  pow- 
er, decision.  With  the  manhood  and  abil- 
ity he  has  developed,  the  earnest  plodder 
rises  to  the  occasion  and  masters  the  sud- 
den problem.  Then  he  has  passed  his  fel- 
low-workers, and  they  call  it  fortune,  be- 
wailing their  own  hard  luck. 

There  was  a  soul-baring  time  out  upon 
the  icy  Atlantic  when  the  blow  of  the  ice- 
berg made  the  giant  Titanic  tremble  from 
bow  to  stern.  Men  ran  to  and  fro  like 
mad.  Guards  had  to  stand  over  some  with 
revolvers,  to  prevent  them  from  crushing 
women  and  children.  Other  men  stood 
back  calmly,  or  guided  weaker  ones  to 
places  of  safety,  while  they  waited  for 
the  swoop  of  the  ship  that  would  send 
them  into  the  sea.  The  emergency  brought 
out  the  finer  points  of  character.  Of  men 
who  looked  alike  ordinarily,  some  behaved 
like  devils,  and  some  acquitted  them- 
selves like  gods. 

All  of  us  desire  to  show  true  colors 
when  a  pinch  pulls  off  the  robes  of  con- 


58  Little  Sermons  for  To-day 

vention  and  pretense.  But  we  remember 
that  it  is  not  in  the  moment  of  struggle 
that  power  is  developed.  That  is  done 
long  before  in  the  common,  dreary,  every- 
day grind  of  life.  Victories  may  be  won 
in  an  hour;  they  are  prepared  for  only  in 
a  life-time. 

The  Christian  will  use  the  power  of  God 
in  the  stresses  of  life.  When  threatened 
by  sickness,  failure,  sin,  he  will  abide  in 
the  Most  High.  But  he  cannot  do  it  un- 
less through  the  common  days  he  has  kept 
in  touch  with  God.  Many  cry,  ''Lord, 
Lord,"  unavailingly  because  they  have 
forgotten  how  to  talk  with  Him.  But 
when  the  storm  breaks.  He  never  fails 
those  who  have  walked  with  him  in  the 
sun  and  shadow  of  the  quiet  days. 


Little  Sermons  for  To-day  59 


GOD  IN  BUSINESS 

To  some,  this  phrase  will  seem  to  ex- 
press a  contradiction,  to  others,  an  anom- 
aly. They  will  think,  either  that  the  mes- 
sage of  the  presence  of  God,  while  applic- 
ble,  is  impossible  of  realization  in  the 
hard,  grinding  struggle  of  twentieth  cen- 
tury industrial  and  commercial  life,  or 
that  only  a  fantastic  imagination  can  sug- 
gest any  relation  between  the  two. 

"I  cannot  understand,"  says  one,  *'how 
religion  can  have  any  connection  with  the 
exhausting,  exasperating  work  of  my  of- 
fice. Business  is  business.  And  if  religion 
is  religion  it  belongs  in  the  atmosphere  of 
the  service  and  the  sanctuary." 

Happily  we  are  growing  beyond  this 
conception  of  religion.  We  have  remem- 
bered that  the  religion  of  the  Holy-Day 
cannot  be  divorced  from  the  life  of  the 
holiday  and  the  work-day.  A  man  may 
not  pass  the  plate  to  receive  the  offerings 
of  his  fellows  on  Sunday,  and  filch  from 
their  pockets  on  Monday.  We  have  even 
gone  so  far  in  the  recognition  of  the  rights 
of  morality  and  religion  in  the  business 


60  Little  Sermons  for  To-day 

world  that  the  Department  of  Weights 
and  Measures  of  the  progressive  State  of 
California  has  this  for  its  slogan :  "Hon- 
esty in  business  should  be  a  principle,  not 
a  policy.'*  Let  him  who  says  religion  has 
no  place  in  modern  business  life  be  re- 
minded that  such  an  assertion  relegates 
him  from  modern  ranks  to  a  prominent 
position  among  those  antiquated  minds 
who  have  not  yet  caught  up  with  the 
modern  spirit. 

Religion,  law  and  society  have  brought 
the  message  of  religious  principles  to  bus- 
iness. Let  me  bring  to  the  business  man 
an  offering  of  power  that  will  not  only 
make  possible  the  application  of  these 
principles,  but  will  add  joy  and  strength 
to  him  who  uses  it. 

It  is  not  the  useful  work  and  rush  of 
modern  life  that  kills,  but  the  needless 
doubt,  worry  and  dissatisfaction.  If  the 
twentieth  century  man  can  connect  with 
the  power  of  God  for  strength  and  peace 
in  his  business,  he  will  do  more  work  and 
better  work  than  he  ever  did  before,  and 
there  will  be  more  happiness  wherever 
he  is. 

Ask  what  made  possible  the  calm 
strength  of  the  Father  of  our  Country, 


Little  Sermons  for  To-day  61 

and  his  equally  calm  self-surrender  for 
the  good  of  that  country.  Then  find  your 
answer  as  you  see  George  Washington  up- 
on his  knees  at  Valley  Forge  in  the  dark- 
est hour  of  the  Revolution.  Seek  in  the 
next  century  the  source  of  power  of  the 
country's  martyred  saviour,  and  find  it  in 
the  earnest,  constant  prayer-life  of  Abra- 
ham Lincoln.  To  these  men  whom  the 
world  justly  calls  great  God's  peace  was 
real  and  sustaining.    The  secret  is  God. 

Let  the  man  whose  burdens  are  too 
heavy,  whose  work  or  worry  is  killing 
him,  who  is  despondent,  morose,  irritable, 
invite  God's  presence — in  the  office,  the 
store,  the  factory,  the  street — and  he  will 
find  it  an  inspiration  to  his  heart,  a  light 
to  his  mind,  and  a  staff  to  his  strength. 


62  Little  Sermons  for  To-day 


GIT  TO  LAFFIN'. 

When  you  git  an  ornery  thump 

Go   to   laffin'. 
When  you  hit  a  stubborn  stump 

Git  to  laffin'. 
'Taint  no  use  to  grouch  and  cry 
Like  you  thought  you'z  gona  die. 
Hit  hard;  don't  stop  to  sigh; 

Start  to  laffin'. 

When  your  money  slips  away 

Git  to  laffin'. 
When  you  see  your  poorest  da^ 

Keep  a  laffin'. 
If  your  dreams   caint  allers  be, 
Remember  laffin's  allers  free. 
Wade  right  in  to  what  you  see, 

An'  keep  on  laffin'. 

When  you  think  that  you're  all  in, 

Git  to  laffin'. 
Bein'  down  and  out  sure  ain't  no  sin. 

Go  to  laffin'. 
Meet  everv  job  with  lifted  chin, 
Shout   in   the   pessimistic   din. 
When    you   feel   like    cryin',   grin, 

An'  keep  on  laffin'. 


Little  Sermons  for  To-day  63 


A  UNIVERSE  WITHOUT  GOD 

We  live  in  the  sort  of  world  we  choose. 
We  have  the  choice  of  living  in  a  Godless 
universe,  or  dwelling  where  he  makes  the 
springs  of  life  flow  sweet  and  pure. 

From  the  worlds  of  some  people  God  is 
driven  out.  They  exile  him  because  they 
wish  to  acknowledge  no  authority,  or  be- 
cause they  let  doubt  vanquish  faith,  or 
for  selfishness,  laziness,  pride  or  hate. 
And  what  have  they  left?  What  sort  of 
world  is  theirs? 

Without  God  existence  itself  is  an  en- 
igma. Whence  came  the  world?  Why 
do  we  live  anyway?  Why  did  not  the 
world  stop  in  its  development  before  man 
was  produced?  Without  God,  we  trace 
life  and  the  world  back  toward  their  source 
as  far  as  we  can  and  come  to — what? 
Matter,  blind  force,  some  sort  of  imagin- 
ary unthinking  element  of  law.  Then  we 
trust  this  blind,  unthinking,  unfeeling 
thing,  this  dark,  cold  monster,  without 
mind  or  heart,  to  go  forth  and  make  a 
world   where   beauty   and   fullness   shall 


64  Little  Sermons  for  To-day 

dwell  in  the  land,  where  birds  and  moth- 
ers and  children  shall  sing,  where  men 
shall  love  and  build  and  grow,  where 
visions  of  snowy  purity  shall  flash  across 
human  souls  and  instill  aspirations 
worthy  of  God  himself.  As  well  ask  an 
alligator,  pulling  himself  out  of  his  slimy 
bed,  to  come  into  your  drawing-room  and 
teach  your  children  to  play  the  piano. 

There  is  no  meaning  to  life  without 
God.  It  is  not  worth  the  burning  of  its 
candle.  We  carry  loads,  we  face  sorrow, 
we  walk  in  uncertainty.  Just  as  we  have 
learned  to  know  father  and  mother  and  to 
love  them  as  they  deserve,  they  slip  from 
us,  and  the  only  answer  to  our  cries  of 
anguish  is  the  dull  thud  of  the  sod  as  the 
words  are  said,  ''Ashes  to  ashes,  dust  to 
dust."  Our  friends  tear  loose  from  the 
grips  of  our  hearts  in  the  same  way.  And 
we,  too,  are  headed  toward  the  meaning- 
less grave.  After  all  our  struggle,  aspira- 
tion and  growth,  only  to  return  to  the 
earth  as  food  for  the  worms.  What  a 
a  lot !  Poor  humanity !  Better  there  had 
never  been  life !  Better  we  had  never 
lived  or  loved  or  dreamed! 

No,  life  was  not  given  by  an  unthink- 
ing, unplanning  force.  Unless  it  came 
from  God,  who  gave  us  the  upward  glance 


Little  Sermons  for  To-day  65 

that  we  might  be  true  to  the  best,  it  was 
inflicted  upon  us  by  some  evil,  calculating 
power.  Giving  us  minds  and  hearts,  it 
holds  temptingly  before  us  the  baits  of 
love  and  hope  and  growth,  only  in  the  end 
to  tear  them  all  away,  and  as  we  reach 
out  toward  heaven,  for  which  it  gave  us 
eyes,  to  murder  our  souls.  You  take  your 
choice.  Either  the  light  of  God's  love 
shines  warmly  across  life,  or  you  feel  the 
poisonous  breath  of  a  dragon,  blighting 
every  flower  of  hope  that  dares  to  lift  its 
weary  head. 

And  with  God?  Why,  with  God  per- 
plexities dissolve  into  meaning.  The  best 
is  best  after  all.  Life's  values  are  im- 
measurably increased  by  projection  into 
eternity.  And  God's  presence  is  visited 
upon  us  in  peace  and  power.  Like  barren 
Egypt  bounding  into  plenty  at  the  flow- 
ing of  the  replenishing  Nile,  life  springs 
into  beauty  and  power  at  the  coming  of 
God. 


66  Little  Sermons  for  To-day 


THE  SECRET  OF  POWER 

One  of  the  new  things  which  Jesus 
brought  to  the  world  was  the  power  by 
which  he  sought  to  do  things.  His  new 
commandment  was,  "Love."  This  was 
the  power  by  which  he  proposed  to  con- 
quer, and  it  was  a  new  weapon.  Men 
had  heard  of  prayer  and  worship  as  the 
way  to  reach  God  and  to  touch  the  world. 
They  knew  of  the  place  of  the  ritual  in 
their  religious  life.  Prophets  had  shouted 
over  the  land  the  cry  of  reform,  and  ex- 
pected results.  The  waving  banner  of  the 
battle-line,  the  blare  of  the  bugle  and  the 
shout  of  conflict  were  familiar  to  men. 
And  by  all  these  means  they  knew  that 
the  world  had  tried  to  obtain  the  things 
which  it  desired. 

But  here  was  something  new.  A  man 
stood  in  their  midst  prophesying  a  king- 
dom that  should  reach  around  the  world. 
He  proclaimed  that  every  knee  would  bow 
to  him,  and  all  empires  own  his  sway. 

But  where  is  his  army?  What  is  his 
battle-sign?  How  will  he  win  such  glory 
and  power  in  this  world  of  mighty  things? 


Little  Sermons  for  To-day  67 

Mark  you  now,  he  speaks  to  answer.  In 
the  face  of  so  great  a  task;  in  the  midst 
of  such  mighty  powers;  facing  so  many 
foes ;  this  man  quietly  announces  that  he 
will  win  his  enipire  by  force  of  love. 

And  the  world  would  not  believe ! 

In  twenty  centuries  the  gentle  power 
of  love  has  carried  his  ensign  around  the 
v,-orld,  and  3'et  we  will  not  believe.  So- 
ciety forgets  love  to  use  force  upon  its 
offenders.  We  dare  not  trust  the  power 
of  love,  but  make  ready  our  gunboats  and 
store  away  balls  and  powder.  We  stand 
to-day  bewildered,  unable  to  choose  be- 
tween the  power  of  brute  force  and  the 
power  of  love.  May  the  world-reaching 
effects  of  others'  mistaken  choices  give  us 
guidance ! 

Europe  has  chosen  brute  force,  and  like 
a  brute  she  wallows  to-day  in  ill-spent 
blood.  Still  we  hesitate.  This  is  not  a 
plea  for  disarmament  upon  the  part  of  a 
single  nation,  but  it  is  a  clarion  call  that 
trust  in  guns  and  battle  can  lead  only  to 
bloody  misery. 

Love  may  lift  the  w^hip,  and  love  may 
cry,  "Woe !"  But  love  cannot  trust  in  the 
instruments  of  hate.  Forget  not  that  love 
is  more  than  a  motto  or  a  course  of  con- 


68  Little  Sermons  for  To-day 

duct.  Love  is  a  vital,  living,  conquering 
force.  It  heals  disease,  subdues  enemies, 
makes  progress.  We  have  come  to  the 
century  of  our  Lord  when  nations'  great- 
est powers  are  moral.  We  must  center 
where  Christ  centered,  and  win  our  way 
by  love,  by  being  brotherly  to  all  nations, 
by  standing  for  national  character. 

Paul  signed  the  death-warrant  of  slav- 
ery by  writing  the  names  of  slaves  in  the 
record  of  the  Christian  Church.  Jesus 
broke  the  power  of  caste  when  he  made 
brothers  of  twelve  different  kinds  of  men. 
The  man  who  loves  one  woman  supreme- 
ly is  the  only  man  fit  to  protect  woman- 
hood. He  who  loves  a  home  is  the  only 
one  we  can  trust  to  defend  the  nation's 
firesides.  The  church  which  has  love  with- 
in itself  is  the  only  church  that  can  do 
the  work  of  God. 

Love  is  the  force  that  will  conquer  the 
world.  Love,  warm  within  our  throbbing 
hearts,  and  pulsating  through  our  national 
life,  will  give  to  time  its  noblest  nation, 
and  to  the  unsettled  world  a  leader  who 
can  point  the  way  to  abiding  peace. 


Little  Sermons  for  To-day  69 


THE  SURVIVAL  OF  THE  FITTEST 

It  is  not  always  the  fit  that  survive,  but 
those  that  are  fit  TO  survive.  Jesus  said 
the  way  to  find  and  save  your  life  is  to 
give  it  away.  The  effort  should  be  not  to 
live,  but  to  be  fit  to  live.  Not  many  have 
believed  him,  and  we  have  gone  on  striv- 
ing to  survive,  forgetting  to  estimate  our 
fitness. 

Nations  have  not  believed  him.  They 
have  said  that  whoever  would  save  his 
life  must  be  careful  of  his  own  interests. 
He  must  hug  tight  his  privileges.  He 
must  keep  his  grip  on  power. 

Now  who  is  right?  Look  to  Europe  and 
see.  There  they  have  been  keen  in  com- 
petition. Every  nation  has  saved  its  po- 
sition, its  money,  its  pride.  And  to  what 
end?  That  it  might  be  as  Jesus  said, 
"Whosoever  will  save  his  life  shall  lose 
it!" 

And  America?  Our  choice  is  before  us. 
We  must  choose  to  be  selfish  or  helpful. 
It  cannot  be  that  the  whole  world  bleed 
and  we  sit  in  comfortable  peace.  We  can- 
not imagine  that  out  of  the  world's  misery 


70  Little  Sermons  for  To-day 

America  can  reap  money  and  prosperity, 
and  hold  it  to  a  selfish  heart. 

We  too  must  be  spent.  And  unless  we 
spend  our  money  and  ourselves  now  for 
the  cause  of  humanity,  we  will  some  time 
spill  blood  on  the  battle-field.  Unless 
America  gives  her  life  she,  too,  will  lose  it. 
The  fitness  that  will  save  us  is  the  heart 
and  will  to  be  worth  saving.  Unless  we 
demonstrate  our  worthiness  to  survive  as 
the  greatest  nation,  we  will  find  that  in 
the  struggle  for  existence  no  selfish  grasp- 
ing can  avail. 

Peoples  who  do  not  fi^ght  for  the  help 
of  others  and  for  the  advancement  of 
righteousness  eventually  fight  for  their 
self-preservation.  America,  pure  and  giv- 
ing herself  to  humanitarian  activities,  will 
never  be  caught  in  the  maelstrom  of 
greedy,  bloody  war.  But  America,  rotten 
and  indolent,  will  some  time  fight  to  the 
spilling  of  her  degenerate  blood.  Let  us 
hear  the  battle-cry  of  peace,  and  lift  up 
the  banner  of  righteous  warfare.  Let  us 
not  be  too  selfish  or  lazy  or  self-satisfied 
to  enter  in.  Let  America  be  the  battle- 
ground where  injustice,  cruelty,  legalized 
sin,  intolerance,  and  all  their  evil  allies, 
vanquished  by  the  onslaught  of  a  patri- 
otic people,  shall  crawl  away  to  die. 


Little  Sermons  for  To-day  71 

This  is  our  glorious  hour.  Not  like 
ghouls  to  lick  our  lips  over  the  bloody 
prosperity  that  may  be  ours,  Rather,  like 
men  to  say  that  we  too  are  capable  of  the 
great  sacrifice.  But  it  will  not  be  in  the 
name  of  battle  and  blood ;  not  for  slaugh- 
ter and  misery.  It  will  be  for  service  and 
love;  for  man  and  God.  And  if  we  thus 
give  our  national  life,  from  the  horrors  of 
war,  into  which  selfishness  would  some- 
time plunge  us,  we  shall  be  saved. 

There  are  many  varied  opinions  con- 
cerning the  meaning  of  the  vast  world- 
movements  of  this  day.  Some  believe  in 
preparedness ;  others  demand  disarma- 
ment. Some  look  for  the  triumph  of 
Jesus'  Gospel  of  Love ;  others  foresee  the 
failure  of  this  dispensation  in  the  catas- 
trophe before  the  millenium.  There  are 
those  who  prophesy  universal  peace,  and 
their  opposites  who  sense  the  coming  of 
world  war. 

But  all  are  agreed  upon  this  one  thing : 
These  days  are  laden  with  tremendous 
significance  to  the  material  and  spiritual 
welfare  of  humanity.  Nobody  doubts  that 
out  of  to-day's  clouded  uncertainty  will 
spring  some  immeasurable  change  in 
world-life. 


72  Little  Sermons  for  To-day 

What  will  the  change  be?  Only 
America  can  determine.  With  Europe 
weak  and  bleeding,  and  Asia  pouring, 
molten  soft,  into  the  mould  of  its  most 
significant  generation,  the  light  of  Ameri- 
ca's spirit  will  give  color  to  the  civiliza- 
tion of  the  world.  The  world  needs 
America  to-day.  It  needs  her  material 
resources,  her  leadership  in  industry,  com- 
merce, education,  general  advancement. 
But  more  than  all,  this  century  needs 
America  in  spirit.  America  must  save 
the  nations,  as  herself,  by  a  spirit  of 
brotherhood  and  love.  This  is  the  most 
vital  point  in  a  cross-section  of  the  life^ 
processes  of  the  hour,  and  no  institution 
is  so  near  it  as  the  Church  of  Jesus  Christ, 
proclaiming  and  demanding  a  Christian 
America. 


Little  Sermons  for  To-day  73 


THE  UNSEEN  BATTLE  LINE 

The  crashing  roar  of  the  war  of  the  world 

Has  driven  the  nations  mad. 
Now  here,  now  there,  in  the  gory  whirl 

Victorious  blood  makes  glad. 

Exiled  in  her  far-off  sad  retreat, 

Under  frightful  ban, 
Cowers  there  on  the  anxious  seat 

The  guardian  angel  of  man. 

"Which  wins?"  she  cries  in  quiv'ring  notes. 
Groaning  from  the  deadly  work. 

And  answer  floats  from  battle-throats, 
"Teuton!"  or  "Saxon!"  or  "Turk!" 

"No!  No!  Not  that  I  fain  would  learn, 

Not  by  flag  or  race  'tis  told. 
Only  by  the  fires  in  the  heart  that  burn, 

To  make  or  mar  the  soul. 

"Oh,  tell,  if  the  battle  goes  to  hate 
And   blood   and    war    and    hell, 

While  madness  storms  the  passion  gate 
Where  hope  and  goodness  dwell! 

"Spirits  war  behind  the  deed. 

The  fight  for  man's  control 
Is  hating,  monstrous  self  and  greed 

'Gainst  home  and  love  and  soul. 

"Mothers  and  childhod— all  good  of  life — 

Range   now  in   battle-line. 
They  come  victorious  from  this  strife, 

Or  ever  leave  mankind. 

"Free  your  hearts  of  the  black'ning  sin! 

Be  true  in  the  passing  fray! 
Till  pity,  love  and  peace  come  in 

To  bring  the  better  day!" 


74  Little  Sermons  for  To-day 


THE  CHURCH  AND  THE  SOCIAL 

EVIL 

When  Jesus  Christ  confounded  the 
hypocrites  by  saying  to  them,  ''Let  him 
that  is  without  sin  among  you  cast  the 
first  stone,"  and  startled  the  world  by 
saying  to  her  of  the  scarlet,  ''Go,  and  sin 
no  more,"  He  gave  His  church  warrant 
to  deal  with  this  g-eat  problem  of  sin  and 
shame  and  sorrow.  Indeed,  the  church 
has  an  interest  in  every  condition  which 
afifects  the  morals  of  the  individual,  the 
purity  of  society,  the  sanctity  of  the  home. 
These  are  the  things  for  which  the  church 
stands,  the  things  human  for  whose  ex- 
istence its  energies  must  be  spent,  and  it 
is  directly  interested  in  opposing  what- 
ever tends  to  destroy  them. 

Though  the  mention  of  this  vice,  and 
of  everything  connected  with  it,  has  been 
avoided  by  the  church,  as  by  all  of  soci- 
ety, it  has  not  been  because  of  lack  of 
interest.  We  have  believed  in  purity, 
have  advocated  it,  but  have  simply  kept 
at  long  distance  from  an  avoided  subject, 
and  that  mayhap  wisely. 

From  some  sources  the  blows  of  criti- 


Little  Sermons  for  To-day  7S 

cism  fall  heavily  upon  people  and  min- 
isters for  failure  to  solve  this  problem. 
There  are  many  critics  of  the  clergy  who 
think  that  a  man  may  preach  a  series  of 
sermons,  and  within  a  season  change  the 
heritage  of  his  denomination  and  the 
thought  of  his  congregation.  They  forget 
that  the  minister  deals  with  men  and 
women,  inside  and  outside  of  the  churchy 
with  deep-set  ideas  and  opinions, — just  as 
the  critic  is  so  filled  with  his  own  that  he 
cannot,  appreciate  any  other  position. 

But  the  fundamental  point  of  misunder- 
standing of  those  who  condemn  the  church 
is  the  fact  that  they  have  not  appreciated 
the  church's  high  aim  for  building  char- 
acter, and  its  reliance  upon  the  happy, 
holy,  religious  life  as  the  greatest  pre- 
ventive of  immorality.  And  has  it  not 
been  justified?  Some  months  ago,  a  lead- 
ing magazine  printed  a  statement  of  an 
Eastern  Judge,  who  startled  even  the 
church  by  proving  that  the  ranks  of  the 
criminal  class  find  practically  no  recruits 
from  the  active  church  members.  True ! 
True !  And  rare  are  the  instances  when 
the  studying  and  teaching,  and  the  seek- 
ing, of  the  life  of  the  Nazarene  have  not 
kept  the  feet  from  the  wayward  path. 
The  life  that  is  full  of  positive  goodness, 


76  Little  Sermons  for  To-day 

that  is  moved  by  the  spirit  of  service  and 
not  selfishness,  that  strives  always  for 
the  highest  character,  has  a  set  of  soul 
strong  enough  to  determine  the  way  it 
shall  go,  and  it  is  not  wafted  by  the  winds 
of  circumstance  far  from  its  course. 

So  the  church  has  felt  that  it  was  deal- 
ing with  the  social  evil,  and  every  evil, 
most  effectually  when  it  gave  attention 
to  the  buildi::g  and  setting  of  character, 
and  to  instilling  into  institutions  the 
purity  of  the  Master's  teachings.  And 
has  it  not  done  wonderful  things !  I 
shudder  to  think  what  this  civilization 
might  be  without  the  continuous,  labori- 
ous, consecrated  effort  in  Sunday  School 
and  church  and  other  Christian  activities 
to  make  the  Christian  ideal  of  purity,  holi- 
ness and  happiness  the  world's  ideal  and 
aim. 

But  ignorance,  misunderstanding,  in- 
capability of  adjusting  principle  to  in- 
stance, disregard  of  Christian  teachings 
by  those  who  oppress  and  shame ;  all  these 
things  creep  in  to  leave  their  blemish,  and 
the  church  of  this  age  is  awaking  to  an 
increased  appreciation  of  its  vast  mission 
in  dealing  directly  with  humanity's  great 
problems.  It  is  this  new  realization  that 
has  sent  the  Church  of  Christ  into  politics, 


Little  Sermons  for  To-day  77 

there    to    insist    upon    the    principles    of 
Christian   ethics  in   the   relation   of  gov- 
ernment to  individual,  and  in  the  lives  of 
the  people's  servants.    This  new  awaken- 
ing has  put  the  Social  Service  Secretaries 
of  the  church  into  the  field,  representing 
the  church  organized  to   fight  down  in- 
dustrial injustice  and  to  extend  the  spirit 
and  practice  of  brotherhood  so  as  to  in- 
clude in  reality  all  men.     It  is  again  this 
new  spirit  that  has  given  to  ministers  and 
Christian  workers  a  vision  of  a  new  hope 
— a  solution  of  the  problem  of  the  social 
evil — and  has  set  them  to  work  to  find 
the  way.      We  are   convinced   that  this 
menace  causes  too  much  sorrow,  that  it 
is  too  dangerous,  to  be  of  those  things 
which  we  may  not  touch.    The  church  has 
found  itself  ever  arrayed  against   every 
form  of  vice  and  degradation,  but  in  this 
generation  she  finds  herself  possessed  of  a 
new  spirit  of  attack,  a  fresh  inspiration 
of  activity,   and  a  fuller  wisdom  which 
furnishes  the  many  ways  of  proceedure. 

The  overwhelming  conviction  forced 
upon  me  is  that  the  most  vital  part  in  the 
struggle  of  humanity  for  purity  is  to  be 
played  by  the  Christian  church.  The  task 
is  not  one  for  the  prosecutor's  office 
primarily;    nor    for    legislative    halls;    it 


78  Little  Sermons  for  To-day 

concerns  not  principally  the  economic 
world ;  not  even  in  the  school  is  the  point 
of  attack  of  greatest  value.  The  solution 
must  come  from  an  institution  which  can 
deal  sanely  with  the  phases  legislative, 
economic  and  educational ;  but  which  re- 
members that  this  is  fundamentally  a 
moral  question,  and  which  has  something 
positive  to  ofifer  the  world  as  a  hope  for 
its  solution. 

Most  prominent  in  the  attiude  of  the 
church  is  the  self-evident  fact  that  it  can- 
not accept  the  idea  that  this  is  a  necessary 
evil.  Having  heard  the  gospel  of  the  com- 
ing kingdom ;  having  as  its  light  the  life 
of  Him  who  was  perfect  man;  knowing 
to-day  the  countless  lives  of  spotless 
purity;  it  cannot  be  brought  to  believe 
that  anything  low  and  vile  in  humanity 
is  a  necessity.  The  church  with  all  its 
doctrine  of  sin  believes  that  sin  is  not 
necessary.  Here  it  is,  in  almost  over- 
whelming strength,  but  there  is  a  powder 
which  will  overcome  it.  We  will  not  be- 
lieve that  that  which  does  most  to  pollute 
society,  which  undermines  the  morality  of 
individuals,  that  this  thing  so  laden  with 
misery  and  sin,  is  among  the  eternal.  So 
he  who  comes  with  his  first  word  the 
statement  that  this  is  with  us  always  can- 


Little  Sermons  for  To-day  79 

not  hope  to  find  much  sympathy  from 
the  unconquerable  optimism  of  Jesus 
Christ  and  his  followers.  There  is  a  solu- 
tion of  the  problem.  It  may  be,  nay  it 
must  be,  that  it  will  not  come  in  its  full- 
ness until  the  problem  of  life  and  hu- 
manity has  been  solved  by  man  reaching 
up  to  God,  and  the  kingdom  of  love  and 
service  and  brotherhood  is  nearer  than 
now;  but  somehow  it  must  come. 

There  are  many  who  say  that  the  church 
and  its  ministers  know  nothing  of  the 
scientific  side  of  the  problem,  and  they 
say  that  the  church's  unalterable  opposi- 
tion to  segregation  and  protection  comes 
from  this  fact.  We  feel  impelled  to  reply 
to  him  who  boasts  of  his  scientific  spirit 
that  he  has  largely  lost  sight  of  the  most 
important  phase  of  the  question — the 
moral  basis  from  which  it  must  be  ap- 
proached. We  can  hardly  believe  that 
science  without  moral  sense  is  better  than 
the  moral  spirit  without  scientific  knowl- 
edge. Some  things  are  writ  deeply  on 
the  fabric  of  man's  heart,  and  that  soul 
instinctively  turns  toward  the  right. 

Be  that  as  it  may,  the  church  could 
not  be  consistent  and  be  favorable  to 
regulations  which  recognize  the  greatest 
vice  of  man  as  legitimate  business,  and 


80  Little  Sermons  for  To-day 

place  it  under  peculiar  protection  of  the 
law.  We  are  convinced  that  nothing  is 
gained  by  such  proceedure,  in  safety 
either  physical  or  moral,  and  we  are  un- 
alterably sure  that  much  is  lost  whenever 
we  compromise  and  degrade  society  by 
making  such  an  institution  a  legitimate 
and  protected  part  of  its  activities. 

We  have  seen,  says  the  church  of  to- 
day, that  a  prolific  source  of  the  evil  under 
consideration  is  the  unjust  industrial  and 
economic  condition,  and  we  have  thrown 
ourselves  into  the  struggle  to  right  it. 
Every  measure  and  method  which  has  as 
its  aim  the  bettering  of  these  conditions, 
the  lifting  of  him  who  is  oppressed,  and 
the  opening  of  the  door  to  full  life  to  men 
and  women  and  children  everywhere,  finds 
as  its  strongest  non-partisan  ally  the 
church  in  action.  But  thorough  study 
convinces  that  this  is  not  the  greatest 
cause  of  the  prevalence  ,of  the  vice. 

Of  the  white  slave  traffic  the  same  may 
be  said.  It  exists  in  all  its  pictured 
horror.  But  the  records  of  the  women 
concerned  show  that  it  is  not  of  major 
importance  in  the  causes.  To  be  sure  the 
most  horrible  form  in  which  we  know  this 
thing  is  the  story  of  absolute,  uncom- 
promising innocence  plunged  into  degra- 


Little  Sermons  for  To-day  81 

dation ;  and  the  spirit  of  the  church  is  with 
every  attempt  to  throttle  the  diabolical 
business.  But  it  believes  we  must  go 
deeper  than  that  to  find  the  fundamental 
cause  of  the  existence  of  the  social  evil. 

Then  comes  some  one  with  his  theory 
that  the  cause  of  all  is  the  perversity  of 
the  women  who  fall.     They  tell  us  that 
reform  is  impossible  because  there  is  in 
the  character  an  unchangeable  bias  toward 
this  sort  of  life.     The  burden  upon  the 
woman  again !     Now  we  do  not  doubt — 
it    seems    impossible    that    it    should    be 
otherwise — that  this  kind  of  life  of  sin  and 
depravity  should  so  eat  out  the  character 
as  to  leave  nothing  but  hollow  emptiness. 
We  know,  too,  that  many  find  their  way 
here  because  of  perverse  tendencies,  and 
some  because  of  rejoicing  in  the  life  which 
it  affords.    We  are  aware  also  that  many 
taken  out  find  their  way  back.    But  once 
more  the  church  is  unwilling  to  accept 
the  dictum,  "impossible."     Reform   may 
be  impossible,  but  the  church   does  not 
know  nearly  so  much  about  reform  as  it 
does  about  regeneration,  and  regeneration 
is  not  impossible.    "Go,  and  sin  no  more," 
does  not  mean  that  there  is  no  hope  for 
the  fallen.    The  church  has  to  offer  what 
none  else  can  offer  to  her  who  is  in  the 
depths : 


82  Little  Sermons  for  To-day 

"There  is  a  fountain  filled  with  blood 
Drawn   from   Immanuel's  veins, 

And  sinners  plunged  beneath  that  flood 
Lose  all  their  guilty  stains." 

And  she  who  is  friendless  and  ruined 
will  find  in  the  new  spirit  of  the  church 
the  uplifting  hand  of  real  fraternity. 
Hatred  of  sin  and  love  of  sinner  is  ever 
the  beauty  of  our  Christ,  and  must  be  the 
spirit  of  His  church.  To  those  who  have 
gone  low,  the  church  says,  *'Come  up ;"  to 
lives  shrouded  in  blackness,  the  church 
brings  a  ray  of  light;  to  those  who  have 
no  hope  it  says  that  all  may  be  gained  in 
the  glory  of  Jesus  Christ.  The  door  swings 
open  wide.  ^ 

But  reform  does  not  assuage  the  action 
of  causes.  What,  then,  are  the  causes 
which  seem  to  be  most  fundamental 
among  the  many?  There  seem  to  be  two 
or  three  deep-set  sources  of  evil  against 
which  the  church  can  turn  a  broadside 
directly.  Of  only  one  of  them  can  it  be 
be  said  that  the  church  of  the  past  has 
neglected  it.  That  is  the  dangerous  source 
of  disaster — ignorance.  Ignorance  of  con- 
ditions which  exist,  ignorance  of  bodily 
functions,  ignorance  of  the  life  which  the 
highest  standard  of  purity  demands  of 
the  individual.     Pitifully  comes  the  cry 


Little  Sermons  for  To-day  83 

from  a  saddened  soul,  "Oh,  if  I  had  only 
known  !"  Somebody's  is  the  responsibility 
if  the  erring  did  not  know  that  which 
they  should  have  known,  and  Christian 
workers  everywhere  are  setting  them- 
selves the  task  of  giving  to  those  who 
come  under  their  care  proper  knowledge 
and  guidance. 

This  does  not  mean  that  we  look  with 
favor  upon  the  cheap,  melodramatic,  mis- 
leading plays,  films  and  stories  which  have 
been  made  possible  by  an  aroused  con- 
science. For  the  most  part  these  produc- 
tions are  merely  commercial  schemes, 
sensing  the  new  interest  in  social  prob- 
lems and  prostituting  this  concern  for 
mercenary  purposes.  They  are  not  reli- 
able, generally  not  helpful.  They  deal 
with  that  phase  of  the  situation  which 
lends  itself  most  easily  to  dramatic  and 
heart-rending  presentation,  hardly  ever 
conveying  knowledge  which  gives  any  aid 
in  solving  the  problem. 

While  information  as  to  dangerous 
social  conditions  and  concerning  bodily 
processes  is  necessary,  it  is  not  the  funda- 
mental element  of  combative  education. 
That  basic  part  is  a  knowledge  of  the 
purity  of  life  and  thought  demanded  by 
the  highest  standards.     Our  youth  know 


84  Little  Sermons  for  To-day 

too  much  about  the  last  fatal  step  of  im- 
purity ;  we  are  now  telling  them  at  least 
enough  about  themselves ;  but  how  many- 
children  have  instilled  into  them  the  de- 
sire for  perfect  purity?  What  numbers 
there  are  who,  while  dodging  the  coarser 
sins,  step  lightly  on  the  way  to  destruc- 
tion, because  we  have  not  let  them  know 
that  every  violation  of  purity  of  thought 
and  deed  is  wrong. 

Another  virulent  cause  of  the  social  evil 
is  the  double  standard  of  morals.  This  is 
the  cancer  of  immorality  which  eats  its 
way  surely  to  the  heart  of  society.  We 
know  too  well  the  punishment  visited 
upon  the  girl  who  offends,  while  the  more 
guilty  man  continues  gaily  on  his  es- 
capades, and  counts  them  experiences  to 
gloat  over.  It  is  only  a  few  hours  in  the 
life  of  many  a  young  man  from  the  brothel 
to  the  parlor  of  his  lady  friends.  As  long 
as  this  systemic  disease  exists  society  can- 
not cure  itself  by  treating  symptoms.  So 
long  as  honored  married  men  can  make 
approaches  to  young  ladies ;  while  we  ex- 
pect a  man  to  make  certain  advances 
which  a  girl  must  repulse;  so  long  as 
g-u-i-1-t  spells  guilt  for  one  party  and  not 
for  the  other;  just  so  long  will  the  social- 
ly  developed   lax  morals  of  a   sex  vent 


Little  Sermons  for  To-day  85 

themselves  in  practices  inimical  to  society. 
One  or  two  things  is  true :  Either  there 
should  be  one  code  of  morals  for  the  sexes, 
or  our  society  is  organized  on  the  wrong 
basis.  If  society  is  properly  organized,  if 
the  Creator  is  wise  and  beneficent  when 
He  creates  us  male  and  female,  each  for 
each,  then  the  only  logical  principle  is 
the  single  standard  which  gives  life  for 
life,  character  for  character,  purity  for 
purity. 

The  church  recognizes  no  sex  in  moral- 
ity. If  there  be  one  place  where  equal 
opprobrium  falls  upon  both  for  known 
offenses,  that  place  is  the  Christian 
church.  And  there  to  both  is  held  out 
the  tender  hand  of  forgiveness.  The  stir- 
ring demands  of  Jesus  come  to  man  and 
woman  alike,  and  one  of  the  tasks  of  the 
church  of  to-day  is  to  create  in  manhood 
a  Christlike  passion  for  purity.  Unto  this 
end  have  we  lifted  up  our  voices  and  en- 
tered the  struggle.  Some  men's  ideas  must 
be  changed ;  society  must  alter  its  direc- 
tion ;  but  the  end  must  come — that  man 
shall  demand  of  woman  the  spotless 
purity  of  his  ideals,  and  shall  place  him- 
self beside  her  in  her  highest  stand. 

The  other  potent  cause  which  the 
church  can  combat  is  the  lack  of  ideals  of 


86  Little  Sermons  for  To-day 

purity,  and  the  willingness  to  compromise 
with  impurity  when  the  danger  is  small. 
Since  Christ  set  the  ideal  by  saying, 
"Blessed  are  the  pure  in  heart,"  and  Paul 
gave  us  the  word,  "Whatsoever  things  are 
true,  honest,  just,  pure,  lovely,  of  good 
report,  think  on  these  things,"  the  church 
has  fought  for  the  ideal  of  purity  in  the 
heart. 

With  rare  exceptions  the  stories  of  those 
who  have  entered  the  life  of  the  pariah 
show  gradual  sauntering  down  the  broad 
and  easy  way.  Even  in  cases  where  girls 
have  been  led  by  slavers,  not  often  are 
they  snatched  at  one  move  from  their  in- 
nocence; but  the  process  involves  a  series 
of  easy  steps,  which  go  smoothly  until 
the  one  step  which  society  unequivocally 
condemns  brings  sorrow  and  shame. 

The  solution  is  an  ideal  of  purity  for 
individuals  and  society.  A  see  not,  say 
not,  think  not  of  that  which  is  impure ;  a 
purity  which  is  not  content  merely  to 
steer  clear  of  the  rock  of  condemnation, 
but  has  an  upward,  forward  impulse  of 
heart.  This  the  church  preaches  with  the 
words  of  Christ  Jesus  as  no  other  insti- 
tution can.  Purity  of  act,  purity  of  mind, 
purity  of  heart;  this  is  the  purity  which 
conquers,    and    is    the    antidote    for    the 


Little  Sermons  for  To-day  87 

poison  which  gives  us  the  dread  social 
disease. 

This  is  where  the  church  does  the  great- 
est work  in  combatting  the  evils  of  the 
day.  Not  neglecting  to  fight  the  organized 
traffic  in  women,  never  failing  to  seek  to 
remedy  economic  conditions,  trying  to  im- 
part the  knowledge  necessary  for  protec- 
tion, we  dig  deeper  and  build  for  higher. 
Jesus  Christ  challenged  and  staggered 
humanity  with  his  ideals  of  strength  and 
purity.  His  challenge  the  church  takes 
up  for  itself  and  passes  on  to  society.  Far 
in  advance  shall  we  go;  higher  must  in- 
dividual standards  raise;  and  purer  need 
the  ideals  of  society  to  become.  The 
church  says  this,  not  alone  because  of 
the  need  of  the  hour,  not  solely  because 
we  see  about  the  drift  of  moral  wreck- 
age, but  because  from  the  beginning  of 
its  existence  it  has  the  command  of  its 
Leader,  and  the  upholding  of  the  banner 
of  purity  and  righteousness  was  com- 
mitted to  its  hands. 

The  church  is  awake.  If  any  have 
thought  that  she  has  neglected  some  of 
the  struggles  tearing  at  the  heart  of  man 
let  him  be  at  peace.  The  church  has  not 
forgotten  that  her  chief  end  is  regenera- 
tion in  the  name  of  Jesus  Christ,  and  she 


88  Little  Sermons  for  To-day 

can  never  take  her  emphasis  from  that 
one  thing.  Following  that,  though,  she 
cannot  read  the  utterances  of  her  Master 
without  being  filled  with  a  zeal  for  their 
spread  through  all  of  society;  she  cannot 
dream  of  the  kingdom  of  brotherhood  and 
love  without  going  out  to  make  way  for 
it;  she  cannot  remember  the  life  of  the 
lowly  one  without,  through  the  inspira- 
tion of  his  example,  plunging  into  every 
phase  of  life  to  bring  relief  and  uplift 
and  happiness  and  holiness. 

So  the  church  is  in  action.  She  has  in- 
vaded new  territory;  she  has  made  un- 
accustomed challenges  and  demands;  she 
is  armed  for  fresh  conflicts  in  the  name  of 
her  Leader.  Wonderful  visions  of  service 
have  opened  before  her  as  the  strength  of 
activity  is  renewed,  adding  richer  glories 
to  the  name  of  Him  whom  she  delights  to 
honor. 

But  the  consciousness  abides  that  all 
the  time  her  aim  has  been  true  in  going 
to  the  unrighteousness  of  man  for  the 
fundamental  cause  of  wrong  and  unhappi- 
ness.  With  all  the  minor  methods  she 
may  marshall  at  her  command,  she  still 
clings  to  the  holy,  positive,  happy,  religi- 
ous life  as  the  surest  antidote  for  immoral- 
ity of  every  kind,  and  to  the  social  teach- 


Little  Sermons  for  To-day  89 

ings  of  Jesus  as  the  only  corrective  for 
unwholesome  conditions.  The  life  fired 
with  Christian  zeal,  having  for  its  chief 
aim  honor  to  God  and  service  to  man  is 
the  most  potent  contribution  to  the  cause 
of  purity,  and  its  reach  is  unbounded. 
So  in  His  name  we  work  against  all  odds, 
while  the  sun  of  life  shines,  looking  in 
faith  to  that  time  when  the  little  seed  shall 
become  the  strong  tree  of  spreading 
branches. 


90  Little  Sermons  for  To-day 


GREAT  MEASURES  FOR 
GREAT  NEEDS 

Your  remedy  must  be  commensurate 
with  your  disease.  Soothing-syrup  will 
not  kill  snake-bites.  You  cannot  cure 
diphtheria  with  a  gargle.  Medicine  alone 
will  not  take  away  tuberculosis. 

The  monstrous  war  of  the  world  did 
not  give  way  to  the  urging  of  neutrals^ 
nor  to  the  clamoring  of  enthusiasts.  There 
can  be  no  end  of  war  in  the  world  until 
there  is  the  essence  of  peace  in  human 
hearts.     As  men  are,  so  is  man. 

War  and  social  injustice  and  industrial 
inequality  and  political  corruption,  deep- 
set  diseases  of  the  social  system,  cannot 
be  cured  by  the  salve  of  the  optimist,  the 
friction  of  the  pessimist,  nor  the  skin- 
treatment  of  reformers.  One  of  the  en- 
thusiasts who  went  to  Europe  to  stop  the 
war  with  a  plan  came  back  with  this  con- 
fession, "I  have  learned  the  things  I  knew 
very  well  before.  *  *  *  Only  I  have 
learned  them  better.  I  have  learned  them 
in  disappointment  and  pain,  in  humilia- 
tion  and   defeat   and    the   battlement   oi. 


Little  Sermons  for  To-day  91 

great  endeavor.  And  the  lesson  abides. 
I  have  learned  that  there  is  no  short  cut 
to  the  millennium.  *  *  *  I  have  learned 
that  a  good  movement  must  be  steeped  in 
prayer  and  saturated  with  devotion,  that 
the  peace  propaganda  must  be  baptized 
into  Christ.  *  *  *  You  cannot  buy  peace. 
A  multi-millionaire  cannot  buy  peace.  He 
cannot  with  all  his  wealth  buy  the  'fruits 
of  the  spirit.'  "  The  only  remedy  is  a  new 
humanity  and  the  only  means  is  Jesus 
the   Christ. 

Human  ills  may  not  be  reached  by  easy 
methods.  Good  resolutions  make  plausi- 
ble the  way  to  Hell.  His  own  boot- 
straps never  yet  lifted  the  straining  fool. 
Man's  ills  result  from  sin.  Only  God  can 
conquer  sin.  That  is  why  Jesus,  and  he 
alone,  will  cure  the  diseases  of  humanity, 
and  meet  all  its  needs. 


92  Little  Sermons  for  To-day 


THE  HELMSMAN 

The  man  at  the  helm  is  the  force  which 
gives  guidance  to  the  ship.  Great  engines, 
twin  screws,  twenty  knots  an  hour,  drive 
only  to  destruction  unless  the  man  at  the 
helm  be  on  duty.  No  one  could  find  fault 
with  the  Titanic.  She  rode  the  seas  like 
a  queen  secure  upon  a  throne.  But  the 
pilot  forgot  his  duty,  or  his  vision  was 
not  as  keen  as  the  danger  demanded. 

This  magnificent  civilization  of  ours 
glories  in  its  power  and  speed.  Nowhere 
in  annals  of  history  is  written  story  like 
to-day's  making.  The  past  is  a  child  to 
our  power,  a  snail  to  our  pace. 

And  individuals  are  seeking  to  embody 
within  themselves  these  age-characteris- 
tics. The  school-boy  cannot  be  content  to 
wait  for  wisdom  before  entering  business 
or  profession;  the  fond  parent  must  send 
her  daughter  into  society  before  she  is 
through  with  dolls.  To  exercise  power, 
and  to  do  it  now,  is  a  passion  with  us. 

Now  our  grave  danger  is  that  of  the 
Titanic — lest  we  forget  that  power,  glory, 
speed,  success,  unless  rightly  directed,  are 


Little  Sermons  for  To-day  93 

but  engines  of  destruction.  Witness  the 
bloody  glory  of  Europe's  material 
progress  to-day — condemned  as  a  curse 
by  the  common  voice  of  man.  The  power 
is  there,  the  attainment.  But  the  helms- 
man guided  wrongly. 

The  man  at  the  helm  in  an  individual's 
life  is  the  motive  that  dwells  within  him 
— the  spirit  of  his  actions.  It  is  the  rea- 
son for  all  his  movements,  and  it  will 
send  him  to  the  natural  result  of  its  direc- 
tion, as  surely  as  the  Titanic's  rudder  sent 
her  crashing  into  the  iceberg. 

Oh  how  we  need  to  learn  that  what 
comes  out  of  the  heart  purifies  or  defiles 
a  man !  Let  a  man  pile  up  the  biggest  bil- 
lion of  fortune  in  America — if  his  heart 
and  aim  be  selfish  he  is  miserable  and 
selfish  still.  Put  upon  the  hypocrite  the 
most  solemn  cloak  of  religion  and  pro- 
fession— within  he  is  as  rotten  as  dead 
men's  bones.  Set  any  ship  of  life  at  sea 
with  a  wrong  motive  at  the  helm,  and  its 
eternal  port  will  be  named  failure. 

What  helmsman  is  worthy  of  a  position 
at  the  steering-wheel  of  a  life?  Is  it 
greed?  The  beasts  may  surpass  him.  Is 
it  power?  He  will  never  know  as  much 
as  the  King  of  the  Forest.     Is  it  glory? 


94  Little  Sermons  for  To-day 

It  fadeth  like  the  mist.    Is  it  love?    Yea, 
that  is  the  greatest  thing  in  the  world. 

Damned  is  the  power  which  drives  to 
destruction  because  love  is  not  at  the 
helm.  Cursed  is  the  speed  which  plunges 
upon  the  rocks  because  service  is  not  the 
goal.  Whatever  may  be  the  profession, 
or  business,  or  station,  the  ship  of  life  is 
not  worthy  to  sail  the  seas  unless  it  put 
out  with  a  good  pilot.  And  there  is  no 
helmsman  worthy  to  stand  up  where  life's 
powers  are  given  direction,  except  that 
sent  forth  from  God — sacrificing,  serving, 
saving  lovt 


Little  Sermons  for  To-day  95 


A  GOOD  PLACE  TO  LIVE 

Railroad  companies  know  how  strong 
is  the  tendency  of  modern  folks  to  change 
residence.  We  seem  always  to  see  greener 
pastures  in  the  distance,  more  desirable 
dwelling-places  in  other  climes.  But  you 
do  not  tell  me  where  you  live  when  you 
say  Los  Angeles,  or  San  Francisco,  or 
New  York.  There  are  a  hundred  cities 
within  every  municipal  boundary  —  the 
cities  of  finance,  of  sin,  of  society,  of 
friendship,  of  Godliness,  with  many  others. 

I  am  not  informed  as  to  the  abiding- 
place  of  your  soul  when  told  that  you  live 
in  wealth,  or  in  poverty ;  in  ease,  or  in 
strife;  in  leisure,  or  in  hurried  activity; 
in  social  prominence,  or  in  home  quiet- 
ness. 

To  be  sure,  these  items  give  some 
knowledge  of  the  conditions  which  sur- 
round you ;  but  they  cannot  disclose 
the  real  nature  of  the  world  in  which  you 
live.  It  cannot  be  said  how  you  permit 
them  to  color  your  life,  or  what  trans- 
forming rays  your  soul  throws  across 
them. 


96  Little  Sermons  for  To-day 

We  live  only  in  that  which  we  recog- 
nize and  accept.  A  group  of  three  stood 
before  a  painting  of  rare  beauty  of  form 
and  color.  They  were  an  artist,  a  sensu- 
ous voluptuary,  and  a  dog.  In  the  same 
surroundings  the  artist  lived  in  a  world 
of  beauty  and  inspiration,  the  sensualist 
in  an  atmosphere  of  lustful  desire,  and  the 
dog  was  oblivious  of  it  all. 

So,  in  Los  Angeles  or  elsewhere,  in 
favorable  conditions  or  otherwise,  people 
live  in  different  worlds  according  to  their 
souls.  The  abundance  of  life  is  in  the 
inhabitant,  and  not  the  habitation.  In 
the  contest  as  to  the  relative  greatness  of 
heredity  and  environment,  remember  that 
the  living  soul,  created  in  the  image  of 
God,  and  endowed  with  his  power,  is 
greater  than  both. 

The  abode  of  the  soul  may  be  changed 
at  any  time.  Are  you  tied  down  to  an 
ugly  house,  an  unsightly  neighborhood, 
an  uninspiring  city,  a  miserable  world? 
Then  get  out.  Move  on.  Not  in  vans  and 
trucks,  but  in  spirit.  Fill  the  old  house 
with  a  new  desire  to  beautify;  look  upon 
your  neighborhood  as  the  home  of  hu- 
manity whom  you  may  love ;  find  in  your 
city  of  streets  and  boundaries  the  city  of 
purity  and  goodness  and  service ;  move 


Little  Sermons  for  To-day  97 

over  into  the  new  world  of  victory  by  let- 
ting into  your  heart  the  Spirit  of  God. 
With  faith,  peace  and  love  within,  any 
spot  on  the  footstool  is  a  good  place  to 
live. 


98  Little  Sermons  for  To-day 


MY  PAL 

I  don't  go  much  on  the'ry, 
An'  I  can't  p'raps  explain 
Fit   to   put  'n   a   philosophy 
What's  in  my  heart  and  brain. 

But  I  do  know, 

Whare'er   I  go 

I've  got  a  Pal. 

When   I   tackle  sumpen  high, 
Too  big  a  job  fer  me, 
I   call   on   Him  to  draw  anigh 
And  bring  the  thing  to  be. 

We  work  and   sing, 

And   do   the  thing, 

My  Pal  and  me. 

When   the    skies   are   dark   and   gray 
'N   things   are   goin'   wrong, 
I  raise  my  head  and  then  I  say, 
"He'll   bring   the  light  along." 

The    darkness    goes 

With   all   its   woes. 

When    He   is   near. 

Some  say  that  it  ain't  right 
To  call  Him  such  a  name. 
You  call  Him  anything  you  like — 
He'll   help  you  just  the  same. 

But  sure  to  rne 

He  seems  to  be 

A  constant  Pal. 

Ef  He  is  allers  nigh, 

'N  helps  me  on  the  way; 

Ef  He  brings  abundant  life  and  high 

Why  cain't  I   truly  say, 

Fer   me   and   you 

In  all  we  do 

There  is  a  Pal. 


Little  Sermons  for  To-day  99 


THE  HEART  OF  YOUR  NEIGHBOR 

The  poet  cried  for  some  power  to  give 
us  the  gift  of  seeing  ourselves  as  others 
see  us.  It  would  truly  save  us  from  many 
a  blunder  and  foolish  notion.  But  a 
greater  gift  would  be  the  power  to  see 
our  fellow  as  he  is.  Abounding  love  and 
overflowing  sympathy  would  drown  our 
envy  and  suspicion.  To  get  down  to  his 
heart  is  to  find  warmth. 

Men  seem  to  be  worse  than  they  are. 
You  pass  a  man  on  a  lonely  road ;  you 
wish  to  speak  to  him,  and  do  not  know 
whether  he  desires  the  address  of  a 
stranger.  You  feel  embarrassed  ;  he  looks 
unconcerned  and  stern.  You  pass  on, 
wishing  that  men  were  more  genial  and 
friendly.  Did  you  ever  stop  to  consider 
that  perhaps  his  thoughts  and  emotions 
are  akin  to  yours?  So  is  the  roadway  of 
life.  We  pass  and  look,  and  see  only  the 
surface. 

A  good  question  to  ask  us,  "Have  I 
looked  for  the  good  spot  in  my  brother's 
heart?"  It  is  there.  Black  with  sin, 
bruised  by  the  v^orld^  unlovely  it  seems, 


100        Little  Sermons  for  To-day 

but  somewhere  there  is  that  which  would 
bring  tears  to  your  eyes.  If  you  could 
see  the  heart  of  your  enemy,  your  anger 
would  give  way  to  pity,  your  revenge  to 
sympathy.  If  you  knew  your  neighbor  as 
he  is  you  would  be  more  gentle  and  lov- 
ing, and  you  w^ould  know  that  the  world 
is  better  than  it  seems. 


Little  Sermons  for  To-day         101 


LIVING  TO-DAY 

No  wonder  life  is  sometimes  called  a 
grind.  Such  a  ceaseless,  monotonous 
repetition  of  the  same  old  things!  "Fore- 
noon and  afternoon  and  night;  forenoon 
and  afternoon  and  night!" 

What  a  never-ending  task  is  the  neces- 
sity of  arising,  bathing  and  dressing 
daily.  To  think  that  every  morning,  one 
year  after  another,  hundreds  and  thou- 
sands of  days,  one  must  get  out  of  bed, 
make  his  toilet  and  dress  for  the  day. 
Think  of  the  work  of  walking — to  pick  up 
one  foot  and  put  it  in  advance  of  the 
other,  only  to  lift  the  second  to  make  it 
lead  the  first.  And  then  the  car-rides, 
office-routine,  shop  and  factory  wear  and 
tear,  dishes,  meals  and  mops — What  an 
array  of  terrifying  little  grinding  duties 
marshalled  out  on  the  road  in  front  of  us ! 
It  is  not  surprising  that  thoughts  like 
these  lead  to  grouchiness,  melancholy, 
suicide. 

Now  a  lot  of  our  time  must  be  given 
to  these  little  nerve-racking  necessities. 
But  they  are  not  worthy  of  first  place. 


102        Little  Sermons  for  To-day 

When  we  worry  about  them  and  make 
life  consist  of  these  lesser  elements  we 
become  like  the  centipede  who  walked 
easily  until  he  was  asked  which  foot  he 
moved  first,  and  in  what  order  they 
worked.  Then  he  could  not  move  an 
inch  for  trying  to  ascertain  how  to  do  it. 

Satisfaction  and  contentment  come 
from  adjusting  the  terrors  of  every  day 
in  their  proper  relation  to  a  great  life- 
purpose.  For  Jesus  every  town  in  Gali- 
lee was  on  the  road  to  Jerusalem ;  each 
miracle  and  prayer  was  a  preparation  for 
the  cross  and  the  resurrection ;  every 
man  and  woman  and  child  was  an  element 
in  the  kingdom.  For  the  Christian,  all 
duties  are  necessary  parts  in  the  pattern 
of  life ;  every  day  is  a  helpful,  happy,  holy 
division  of  the  Kingdom  of  God,  fitting 
into  the  Divine  purpose  with  harmony  and 
beauty. 

The  End. 


Little  Sermons  for  To-day 

By 
Rev.  Clyde  Shepard,  A.  M.,  LL.  B.,  B.  0. 

with  an  Introduction  by 

Rev.  Charles  Edward  Locke,  D.  D.,LL.  D. 

Interpretations  of  the  Message  of  Jesus 
to  the  Twentieth  Century.  A  book  that  leaves 
its  readers  with  a  surer,  maturer  faith,  and 
with  wholesome,  confident  attitude  toward  life. 

"The  Sermons  are  little  only  in  quantity 
and  are  large  in  quality  and  purpose,  and  will 
be  read  with  enjoyment  and  profit.  I  bespeak 
for  this  dainty  volume  a  cordial  welcome." 
Dr.  Charles  Edward  Locke,  Pastor  of  the  First 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  Los  Angeles. 

75c  Per  Copy,  Post  Paid 

Christian  Health  Magazine 

Edited  by 
Rev.  CLYDE  SHEPARD 

Distinctly  a  Periodical  For  To-Day 
PSYCHOLOGY-PHYSICAL  CULTURE- RELIGION 


The  only  Health  Magazine  with  the 
Evangelical,  Scientific  Emphasis.  It  makes 
the  Church  more  attractive  and  helpful  to 
many,  and  it  will  save  to  the  Church  some 
who  are  going  astray. 

For  the  Happy,  Healthy,  Successful 
Religious  Life. 

$L00  Per  Year 

Christian  Health  Magazine 

Station  P,  Los  Angeles,  Cal. 


14  DAY  USE 

RETURN  TO  DESK  FROM  WHICH  BORROWED 

LOAN  DEPT. 

This  book  is  due  on  the  last  date  stamped  below,  or 

on  the  date  to  which  renewed. 

Renewed  books  are  subject  to  immediate  recall. 


r      WW      \J   j 

^ 

• 

« 

' 

LD  21A-60m-3.'65                            Uni^eS^iSSrma 
( F2  3  3  6sl0 )  47  6B                              ^^^"^glrkeley 

VA  01 


/oo 


355047 


UNIVERSITY  OF  CAUFORNIA  LIBRARY 


■k 


